Fate of the Tsubasa
by TheDogzLife
Summary: Kal is a Tsubasa Inu, a strange breed of dog, who lives with her master in the city. Yet when the fearsome demon Orochi is revived and a goddess arrives in Nippon, her world is turned around and she finds herself unable to help. Now Kal must not only face powerful demons, but also try and find the truth behind who - or what - she really is.
1. Prologue

**Okay, I decided to upload this story on here for no apparrent reason... it was originally uploaded on deviantART but I thought I might actually get some reviews on it here xD**

**So yea it's an Okami fanfic, and it has two OCs in it, one of which is Kal and another that appears later. And yes, I made Kal be Waka's dog, though that might make more sense later xD (Other than the more obvious reason that Waka is my favourite character OTL)**

**Also there isn't really any OCxcanon or anything like that, other than a master/dog relationship...**

**And a Tsubasa Inu is something made up obviously xD Translated it means "winged dog", for obvious reasons...**

**Anyways hopefully this thing will be somewhat interesting/understandable xD It does go through the storyline of Okami, though the prologue is before the events of the game~**

**Okay I'll shut up now, enjoy! xD**

* * *

The sun shone from a cloudless sky, lighting up the water of a flowing river embedded in a forest. It roared past, waves lapping at an old bridge that refused to give in to the violent water. Deeper into the forest the small lake of water was almost perfectly still. The only noise here was a gentle breeze rustling the remaining leaves hanging from the trees, and the lonely sound of a flute that echoed through the air.

A young man waded through the shallow water onto one of the islands, gripping a bow in one hand, a bag of arrows hung on his back. He had been practising his archery skills all morning.

"One day I shall be the greatest archer in all of Nippon!" he chirped joyfully to himself, looking around for another target. He rarely ever missed what he aimed to hit. He took out an arrow and pulled the bow back, releasing it a few moments later. It shot through the air and sliced through the stem of an apple in one of the trees on the far back, causing it to drop to the ground and roll down into the water, where it floated like a buoy. Yoichi smiled to himself.

He glanced up into the trees. This was where he needed the most practice; shooting upwards. He scanned the treetops until eventually his eyes came to rest on a large hawk; he could only see the head from here, but at least if he aimed for that it wouldn't feel any pain. After all, his father could always cook it for dinner. He was starting to get a little sick of apples.

He loaded another arrow into his bow and pulled back the string, releasing and watching as it launched into the air, straight towards the hawk. It was going to land right on target.

Suddenly the flute music stopped. Something shiny lashed out, slicing the arrow in half. Yoichi stared in disbelief as the two halves clattered onto the rock a few metres away.

"Excusez-moi! What do you think you are doing?"

"Ah! I… I…" Yoichi quickly jumped around, trying to see who was addressing him. There didn't appear to be anyone in sight. He re-composed himself. "Who are you?" he demanded, trying to sound brave. "Show yourself!"

"Perhaps you should try looking in the right direction, mon ami," the French-accented voice mocked him.

Yoichi listened harder this time, finally glancing up into the trees. There was a man on one of the high branches above him, seemingly balancing without problem despite his stilt-like shoes. He was wearing some kind of hawk-head hat with long, red-tipped wings draped from the sides, and Yoichi realised, a little embarrassed, that he had mistaken the hat for an actual hawk. The strange man slipped a sword back into the scabbard used to encase it, showing that it was he who had just sliced the arrow in half.

"Wha… ha… how did you get up there?" Yoichi gasped.

"That does not matter," the man said mysteriously, flicking his hand as if wafting away the question. "What does matter is what you are doing here. Hunters are not welcome in Agata Forest."

"Well… then…" Yoichi glanced up at the man; it seemed strange that he had got so high up into the tree, which had very few branches, but he didn't look strong enough to have climbed it. "Who are you to stop me, pretty boy?"

"So that's how it is." Somehow the man's voice only had the slightest serious edge to it.

Quick as a flash he pulled the sword back out of the scabbard and flung it down, purposely missing Yoichi by just a few inches. The young lad jumped back in fright and quickly raced away through the trees, dropping a few apples in his haste to escape.

"Young fool," the man muttered quietly to himself. He glanced up at the sky; it was starting to get dark, however the moon never shone this deep into Agata Forest. According to myth, a giant fish had swallowed the moon; not seemingly that believable, but there didn't seem to be much other explanation. Deciding it was high time he returned to his ship in the capital, he jumped from the branch, floating along to a nearby tree with the wings on his hat. He continued to fly from tree to tree; he could teleport, but why miss the wonderful views from the treetops?

He soon arrived at the large cliff-like hill that separated the main part of the forest from the river. As he neared the far edge, looking down over the rushing water, he noticed something lying on the riverbank.

"Hmm? What is this?" he muttered out loud to no one in particular. He floated down to the ground, the wings on his hat flapping in the breeze. As he landed his geta shoes didn't even penetrate the marshy ground. He stood for a moment looking at the strange object. Then he gasped. "Mon dieu!"

Collapsed on the riverbank was a large black Labrador-like dog, it's dark purple eyes blank. The only thing that made it seem different from a normal dog was the fact that on it's back, being pulled back slightly by the current of the water, were bat-like wings. The water that passed the limp animal was slowly stained with blood that spread out into the river.

Straight through it's head was a large hunting arrow.

"That boy," the man shook his head in disbelief, his voice no longer having that cheery ring to it. "I doubt he even knows what he has done."

A sudden squeaky whimper got his attention. He glanced around to see what had made the noise, his eyes finally coming to rest on a small patch of long grass. Taking his sword out of it's sheath, he cautiously wandered over.

Using the sword he carefully parted the grass incase it was something dangerous, though he doubted that highly. There was a small black shape hidden there; it was another dog, though this time merely a tiny puppy. It had the same dragon-like wings, though much smaller, and was shivering helplessly.

The man knew what this dog was; a Tsubasa Inu, one of the rarest breeds on Earth. The fact that the kid had managed to shoot one and leave it there to die - as well as one that was a mother looking after it's pup - sent a spark of rage to the man's eyes. However, calm as he was, it soon died down. He let out a quiet sigh and picked up the puppy, cradling it in his arms.

"I suppose I can't leave you out here to die, ma cherié," he smiled. "Let's get you back to somewhere warm…" he cast one last look at the limp body lying beside the river. "And safe."

And with that, he and the puppy disappeared in a cloud of sparks.

* * *

Kamo lifted his yellow mask to rub his eyes. He'd been awake for most of the night and day guarding the ship that hovered above Sei'an, and was now finding it hard to stay awake. He often wondered what the point in guarding the place was - after all, not many people would be able to get to it. But Kamo was the newest member of the Tao Troopers, and he wanted to prove himself. He was going to make his captain proud by guarding the place until he dropped.

"Bonjour!"

"Ah!" Kamo gasped, nearly falling backwards. He held onto his staff, trying to regain his balance on the stilts that he wore as part of his uniform. "Captain Waka! I… didn't see you there…" He hadn't noticed his captain arrive; he must have dozed off for a few moments. He stood tall to hope Waka hadn't noticed.

"I see you are doing a very good job, mon ami," Waka raised an eyebrow as he walked towards the door. The young guard looked like he might fall asleep at any moment. "But I shall relieve you of your duty for now. We don't want you getting tired."

"Oh, thank you!" Kamo sighed with relief. "I mean… thank you, Captain Waka." He then noticed the captain had something in his arms. "Is that… a dog?"

"Oui, what good observation you have," Waka told him, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"I thought dogs didn't usually have… wings?"

"Tsubasas do. The rarest breed in all of Nippon. This one's mother was killed by an arrow."

"So you brought it back with you?"

"Would you leave a puppy alone to starve to death?" Waka protested defiantly, his voice uncharacteristically serious.

"I… guess not. Sorry," Kamo apologised with a nervous laugh. He hadn't thought of his captain as being an animal lover.

* * *

Starlight reflected perfectly on the wide stretch of water. No moon, just starlight. To the inquisitive puppy it seemed a little odd. She feverishly reached over onto the water and dabbed one of the star's reflections with her paw.

"Watch out for the giant fish, ma cherié!" Waka teased from where he was sat on one of the tree branches nearby.

The puppy let out a yelp and jumped away from the water, her wings carrying her nary a few feet before she landed back on the ground again. Then she let out a huff and turned to look at the prophet with an unimpressed look on her face.

Waka had soon worked out that she could understand what he was saying - in fact, it seemed as if he'd already known. It had been half a year since he had taken her in, and she was now around two years old - if she had been any regular dog she would have been considered an adult by now, but as a Tsubasa it would be another eight or so years until she was fully grown. They more or less aged in human years, however they matured a lot faster.

Now named Kalerako, though more often shortened to Kal, she spent most of her time either cooped up in the ship in Sei'an, or out here in Agata forest whenever Waka brought her there. Since she was still a puppy, whenever she was allowed out he normally kept his eye on her.

"Still need some practise in flying, I see?" he smiled. "Never fear, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it eventually."

"Eventually?" she sighed. She knew he couldn't understand her - after all, despite the strangeness of her breed, she was still a dog, unable to speak human. But she had the ability to portray emotions better than any normal breed, and thus it was relatively easy to work out what her mood was or what she was thinking. She liked talking to humans even though they could not hear her - if they made a reaction to her facial expressions, it was like having a conversation with them.

"Your wings are not strong enough to hold you up yet," he continued. "They'll grow."

He lifted his wooden flute up to his lips and started to play the tune that Kal had gotten used to by now. It almost looked as if the stars were glistening brighter with the calming music, but she shook the thought away. Too young to fly? She'd show him!

Running over to the tree where Waka was sat, she flapped her bat-like wings and jumped up towards the first branch. She wasn't that good at jumping, but her wings helped carry her the extra few metres and she landed on the branch. This was too easy. She jumped from the branch as if it were a springboard and floated up to the next one. Glancing up, she saw the third branch on which Waka was sat. It was further away than the other two had been, but nothing she couldn't manage. She readied herself and sprang upwards, her wings beating furiously as she tried to gain height. She could feel the momentum lessening as she came closer to the branch, and with a flash of panic she realised she wouldn't be able to make it. Forcing her wings to carry her higher, she managed to hook her front paws over the branch and scrabbled for a hold to try and pull herself up.

"Ah, bravo!" Waka laughed, lifting her up properly onto the branch by the scruff. "In a few years you'll be able to fly above the trees easily."

Kal glanced up at the treetops. The trees in Agata forest were extremely high, at least three times the height the branch they were on was. She felt dizzy at the thought of ever being able to fly that high, but excited at the same time.

Waka briefly ruffled her ears, then returned to playing his flute. Settling down on the wide tree branch, Kal rested her head on his lap, listening to the peaceful music as it slowly lulled her to sleep.

* * *

The view from above the city was quite a sight; the ship was so high above the ground that the clouds below made it hard to see, but it was obvious the area was bustling with life.

Kal was stood at the edge of the balcony-like area at the front of the ship, her head on her paws as she looked down past the railings at Sei'an City. The commoner's quarter housed most of the villagers, however the city's aristocrats lived in the north of the city, where the buildings were considerably fancier. She wanted to fly down and have a look around, but Waka never let her go to the city - he never told her why. She thought about trying to creep out, but with Kamo almost constantly keeping guard outside the only door of the ship she was guaranteed to get caught.

Her mind drifted over to reasons as to why she wasn't allowed into the city. Did Waka think she was going to get herself hurt? It was a city, not a pit of spikes!

Perhaps he thought the city dwellers might be scared of her. After all, when Kamo had started talking to her once - whether he knew she could understand him or not beyond her - he'd been speculating about why she had wings and could fly, leading her to realise that most other breeds of dog didn't. He'd mentioned the idea of one of her ancestors being a dragon and had seemed quite surprised when she'd given him a hard stare.

Her ears twitched as she heard the wooden sound of Waka's shoes and knew immediately he was walking towards her, but she didn't turn around, caught in her own world.

"Ah, Kalerako, I see you are inspecting the view, oui?"

She gave a faint grunt to let him know she had heard him, but still didn't turn around. He only addressed her by her full name when he was trying to wind her up, which she was getting plenty used to by now.

Waka strolled over to where she was standing and watched with interest as she constantly stared down at the city below, almost as if she were frozen. "Alas, I must go and check on the seal at the Moon Cave, yet it seems that there is no one to look after the city in my absence."

At last Kal turned to look at him, her eyes wide, trying to work out what he was implying, but as usual his expression gave nothing away.

"If only there were someone who would… I don't know, wander around the city for a while, just to make sure nothing bad happens."

Dropping down onto all fours again and turning towards him, Kal stretched her neck to press her nose into the palm of his hand to get his attention. Was he finally going to let her go down into the city?

"What, you would like to guard the city for me?" he teased with mock surprise, pretending the idea had only just come to him.

Kal wasn't fooled, but if this was her ticket to Sei'an, she wasn't going to let the chance slip away. Her tail wagged enthusiastically.

"Well, I suppose the citizens will have to meet you eventually, and a puppy isn't as scary as a full-grown dog, is it, ma cherié? Just stay out of trouble," he warned, though his voice still had that usual playful ring to it. "I'll be back in a few hours. Au revoir!"

With that, he jumped into the air, the wings on his hat spreading as he floated down to earth and disappeared below the clouds.

Right. Now came the hard part. Kal had spent over a year wanting to get to the city but never once thought about how far down it was. Suddenly it seemed like a very long fall.

Yet she knew that Waka wouldn't have let her go unless he was confident she'd manage to fly down; after all, she'd spent months practising in the forest; the only difference here was there were no trees to crash into. Taking a deep breath, she spread her wings and dived over the edge of the rails.

At first she flapped her wings, making the descent slow, but she soon realised that it was unneeded effort. Instead she folded them back against her side and dived down towards the city, enjoying the feeling of the breeze buffeting her ears and fur. It was fun freefalling, knowing she could land easily, and she made a mental note to try flying to the highest branches of the trees next time she was in Agata.

As she got closer to the ground the clouds faded and she could see the ground more clearly.

That's when she realised how fast she was approaching it. She quickly spread her wings to slow down her fall, flailing them desperately.

Thank the gods there was a pool of water below her.

She splashed ungracefully into the water, quickly doggy paddling her way to the surface and scrambling out onto the grass, coughing and shaking the dampness from her fur. It slicked back uncomfortably, but she just shrugged and padded away from the pond, hoping no one had noticed. The sun was out today so hopefully her fur would dry off quickly.

Then she heard some voices. Quickly she dived behind the shelter of a rock.

"I told you, I just saw a dog fall from the sky!"

"Rao, are definitely you sure you weren't seeing things…?"

"Oh come _on_, Himiko, how are you ever going to be queen with that attitude? The poor thing might be hurt!"

"I really think it's unlikely that a dog would…"

"Hey look! There it is!"

Kal jumped as the person who had been speaking came into sight. It was a young teenage girl with black hair, partially covered by a hood. She pushed her fringe further back with one hand as she cautiously came closer.

Well, since she was here, she might as well get to know the villagers. Kal could detect that there was another person nearby as well, so she carefully folded her wings over her back and took a step out from behind the rock.

"Oh!" the girl gasped, taking a half-step back. "It's got wings!"

"What? OK, now I know this can't be real," the other person huffed, though her voice was so soft that it was almost hard to tell she was angry. "Dogs don't have…" she trailed off as she noticed Kal, standing smugly ahead of her, tail wagging, "… wings…?"

Now that Kal could see her, she noticed that the other girl was slightly older than the first, but she had a pretty face and long black hair that looked perfectly brushed.

"Here, doggy!" The first girl held out her hand.

"Careful! It might be dangerous!" the second cried.

They thought she was just a normal dog. A normal dog that for some reason had wings. Trying to look as harmless as possible, Kal padded quietly over to the girl and sniffed her outstretched hand.

"I don't think she'd hurt a fly," the girl smiled as she ruffled Kal's ears. "Hi there, doggy. Where do you come from?"

Momentarily forgetting that they didn't expect her to understand them, Kal glanced upwards to where the ship was, yet the low-hanging clouds over the city obscured it from view.

"The sky, huh?" the girl chirped. "Well, I'm Rao and this is Himiko, we're from the north of the city!" Her voice lowered. "Her dad is king of Nippon, but it's hard to tell sometimes."

"Hey!" Himiko protested quietly, her own curiosity getting the better of her as she walked over to stroke Kal. "I won't have to be queen for ages yet."

"You make it sound like being the ruler of Nippon is a _bad _thing!" Rao exclaimed, standing up fully again.

"If it means I'm going to get an obsession with collecting demon fangs like my father does, then I'd say it _is_ a bad thing," Himiko sighed. She gave Kal one last stroke. "Still, I guess he'll be wondering where I am. I have to get back home."

"Same," Rao shrugged. "Mum wants me to help her sort through some old scrolls, and there's all sorts of juicy info in those things." Her eyes lit up for a moment. "Well, bye doggy! Wherever your home is, I hope you get back safely too."

She skipped away across the bridge nearby. Himiko let out a sigh as she stood up again. "Why did _I_ have to be the heir to the throne?"

Kal tipped her head on one side questioningly.

Himiko blinked. "You can understand me, huh? Well, I guess you can't tell anyone this… but, well, sometimes I wonder how I'll ever be a good queen. I'm just… I don't know. The thought of all those people I'd have to look out for…"

Kal let out a quiet _woof_ of sympathy as Himiko turned and followed her friend, her steps not nearly as filled with excitement as hers had been.

Deciding that she might as well go and explore the city while she was here, Kal padded along the path that lead further into the town, trying to stay in the sun as much as possible so her fur would try quicker. She followed the stones that created the main route through the city and soon she caught a very strong smell of flowers. She easily cleared the river by flying across and landed on the other side to find herself in a garden laden with cherry blossom petals. The house that stood in the middle of the garden had a thick cherry blossom tree as the roof. A somewhat elderly man glanced in her direction and Kal was dumbfounded to see he even had a small tree on his head.

"My, you're a strange looking dog, aren't you?" he commented as he walked stiffly over and held out his hand for her to sniff. He even _smelt_ of flowers. "Enjoying the blossoms around the city? They make the villagers happy, so I must protect them."

"Whatever you say, mister," Kal muttered, turning and hurrying away incase the enthusiasm for trees was contagious.

* * *

Venturing into the north of the city, the one thing that caught her eye was a very tall building near the far end. Kal wandered over to investigate, but after walking around the building she realised there was no door to it.

"Huh?" she tipped her head to one side in confusion. She could hear a noise coming from somewhere near the top of the building, so she flapped her wings and flew towards the roof.

Strangely enough, there was what seemed to be a house at the very top of the building. She curiously nosed the door open and padded inside.

It was a lot louder in the room than it had been outside. There was a short man with greying hair and a light bulb on his head racing around, whacking nails into a large contraption with a hammer. After a few minutes he eventually glanced over and noticed her baffled glance.

"Ah! A dog! How did a dog get in here?" He jumped down from a step ladder that he'd only been standing on for a few seconds and scurried over.

"Why is everyone in this city so crazy?" she groaned to herself.

"Oh look, a flying dog!" he exclaimed, pacing around. He never stayed still for even one second. "I wonder if I could invent something that made dogs fly…"

Kal took a step back to avoid being stepped on.

"Oh, of course, how rude of me. Gen's the name, inventing's my game. Built just about every contraption in this city, I did. Now then, what's your name?"

"Kal?" she raised an eyebrow. Could he understand her?

"Well, I'm sure it's a very nice one!" he clapped, racing away to go and bang in another nail. Obviously he was like all the other humans. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to try and finish this…"

Padding back outside, Kal glanced around. She'd seen most of the city by now, and had been out for an hour at least. Stretching her wings ready for the fly back, she took off into the air and headed for the Tao Troop ship.

* * *

There was some kind of presence in the air. Kal wasn't sure what it was, but it seemed… evil somehow. And yet it was stronger than the average imp that would jump out every once in a while. It was something much bigger, more powerful, like nothing she had encountered before.

Suddenly she jumped as a sword flew to the ground in front of her, embedding itself in the moist earth.

"Paying attention yet, mon ami?"

Drawing her concentration back to what was actually happening, she pulled the sword from the earth and chucked it back over to where Waka was standing with a flick of her head. It clattered to the ground in front of him.

"Well, I think we can safely say that throwing is not one of your strong points," he commented, picking up the sword, wiping the mud off, and putting it back in the scabbard at his side. "But considering you're a dog, I suppose that could be considered a pretty good aim."

"Yeah right," Kal huffed, reaching back and grabbing the handle of her own sword in her jaws and expertly pulling it from the sheath on her back. She'd learnt a long time ago how to draw her sword without accidentally slicing through her wings, which she had almost done on numerous occasions. So what if she was a dog. Dogs didn't usually have wings. Or live as long as she had. She was 17 years old now, still considered young for a Tsubasa. She wasn't a normal dog.

Every so often Waka would train her how to fight with a sword, and after a few years she'd even been given her own, mainly for self-defence. But there was plenty of evil in the world and she'd fought off a fair share of monsters - granted they were mainly imps, but still, pretty impressive considering what she was.

Her sword wasn't the only unusual thing on her; she had a dark purple collar, with various metallic sections that had faintly glowing blue lines on them, around her neck, which most humans she came across assumed to be highly decorated. Yet infact it was a piece of technology - it somehow gave her the ability to teleport, which was handy considering Waka was able to do that naturally, and flying around trying to work out where he'd disappeared to was tiresome. Only he and the Tao Troopers knew what the actual reason for her collar was, however.

She decided that whatever this strange air was, it couldn't be that important. After all, Waka was a prophet. If anything important was going to happen he'd have seen it coming.

She watched as he drew his main sword, Pillow Talk, from his flute. He'd been on the defensive when he'd first told her the name and she'd thrown him one of her "you must be completely crazy" looks. She had also wondered briefly whether her own sword would have been some kind of transforming instrument, but considering she had paws instead of hands she wouldn't have been able to get it to open into a weapon anyway, so it was probably better that hers was a normal one from the Tool Dealer.

Waka waved the sword around as if he were slicing through an invisible enemy; she knew he was doing this to try and confuse her, and she watched his movements closely to try and work out when he would strike.

Suddenly the strange presence grew stronger, as if whatever it was coming from was getting more powerful. She still couldn't work out what it was, but the sense of how much power it had… it sent a chill down her spine.

Then suddenly she was snapped back to reality as she got a sharp pain in her right shoulder, realising that she'd lost her concentration once again and she'd been hit by Pillow Talk. She jumped back, her claws scoring marks in the earth as she tried not to fall into the lake.

"Désolé," Waka muttered guiltily, floating back a few metres. "I thought you were paying attention still…"

Kal let out a quiet growl, angry at herself rather than Waka, and gave her shoulder a quick lick. She wasn't too bothered by the wound; after all, it was hardly the first time she'd been caught by a sword during training. And it would be completely unnoticeable in a few days - any wounds she did get healed very quickly. She was irritated by the strange air, for it kept distracting her. Perhaps it was just her imagination playing tricks on her.

Snapping her attention back again, she thought for a moment and shot forwards, but Waka jumped effortlessly out of the way before she got to the spot where he had been standing.

"You'll have to be faster than that!" he grinned, twirling his sword like a baton in one hand.

"Faster thinking," she growled under her breath, trying to remember everything he'd taught her. "Quick decisions… quick as lightning…"

Lightning!

An idea popping into her head, Kal recomposed herself and jumped towards Waka once more. He hopped out of the way as she expected he would. As soon as she saw him move, the blue on her collar glowed brighter and she vanished in a spark of electricity. She reappeared in front of him and he only just managed to lift his sword quickly enough to block her attack.

Hmm. Still not fast enough.

She disappeared again, using her collar to her advantage, something she hadn't thought of before. This time she reappeared on the other side of the island in the shallow lake, but instead of attacking again she teleported over to the opposite side. She continued flitting around, vanishing and reappearing so fast that the only thing that could be seen were the sparks from her collar that circled the island. She felt a wave of triumph as she saw the confusion that crossed the prophet's face.

Eventually she picked a direction to attack from and appeared in front of Waka once more, flying towards him. This time he couldn't lift his sword fast enough.

"Gah!" he gasped as he was knocked over backwards.

Kal, on the other hand, had been going even faster than she'd thought - most likely because of how quickly she'd been teleporting - and was thrown into the lake. Good thing the water here wasn't too deep. She fished out her sword and climbed back onto the island, shaking water from her fur.

Waka was still lying on the ground, and for a horrifying moment Kal was worried she'd actually managed to hurt him. She let out a quiet whimper and darted over, but before she got to him he jumped back to his feet.

"Bien cuit!" he beamed, transforming his sword back into a flute again and ruffling her ears. "Very interesting. I doubt many demons would be able to escape that one." He carefully rolled up one of the slightly torn sleeves of his kimono and inspected a gash that ran across his arm. Kal felt a stab of guilt as she realised it was a fresh wound. Waka noticed her shamefaced glance. "Ah, don't worry, ma cherié, it's not too serious."

He took his second sword from the sheath at his side and stuck it in the ground in the centre of the island. "Let's see if you can pull it off again." Obviously he knew better than to be a target for that move a second time.

Kal locked her vision onto the sword and tried to use her collar for teleporting, but as soon as she tried there was a crack and a spark flew from it, the blue glow fading.

"Oops…" she flinched. She tried to teleport again but nothing happened.

"I guess you overused it," Waka commented. "Ah well, I'll fix it in a minute." He pulled the sword out from the ground and slipped it back into the sheath, glancing at his hand which was slowly getting covered in blood. "Better go clean this up first."

Kal watched as he used his hood to help him float up into one of the trees and plucked a large leaf from the branch, wrapping it around the scar on his arm to stop the bleeding.

Deciding that she wouldn't be much help with first aid, Kal ran over to the edge of the island and jumped over to the far bank of the lake; it was so close she didn't even need to use her wings. She decided to see if she could find Ume around anywhere. The Shiba had been one of the Satomi canine warriors and had been teaching her a few battle moves that were a bit more dog-like. The exploding defecation move, however, she decided she'd rather not know…

Then suddenly she realised that the evil presence was still in the air. It seemed even stronger now. She felt a low growl rising in her throat. It was getting so powerful now it almost choked her.

Then there was a deafening roar that split through the air, making the ground tremble. This was definitely something big. Something very big. As she glanced up she realised that the sky was starting to turn black with dark, threatening clouds that didn't seem natural. Then over the cliff surrounding the forest a mist came, black as night, turning the ground behind it grey and colourless, devouring everything in it's path. There was only one thing it could be; a curse.

"Kal, run!"

Pushing her fear away, Kal glanced up to where Waka was on the tree branch, calling out a warning to her. As the curse engulfed the tree it was uprooted from the ground, and Waka was forced to teleport away in a cloud of sparks before he was thrown out.

Great. Convenient time for her collar to break. Now unable to copy the prophet's vanishing act, Kal glanced around, trying to find some means of escape. Her eyes came to rest on the entrance to Tsuta Ruins, which was wide open. Hoping that the curse wouldn't spread inside there, she unfolded her wings and sped towards the entrance.

Once inside she flew up to one of the ledges that lined the walls of the cave, landing heavily and trying to get her breath back. As she looked down she spotted some rabbit ears and recognised Kokari, Ume's owner, running towards the door. As he disappeared outside the door closed behind him.

"Oh, great!" she tutted. "The stupid kid's only gone and locked me in here."

Turning and jumping back into the air again, Kal flew over to the massive statue in the middle of the pool of water in the clearing ahead; she wasn't sure what it was, but it looked like there would be a good view from the top, so she could try and find an escape.

As soon as she landed, she felt the evil presence again. Since she had come into the ruins it had vanished, but now it was back. She glanced around in terror to see that the curse was flooding towards her once more, turning the clear water a murky dark purple. There was nowhere to run now.

The curse drifted up towards her, and she stood her ground. Perhaps she could get through it; after all, she was just a dog. But what did a curse actually do? It didn't really matter; there was no way of getting away from it now.

Then suddenly it was upon her, and much like the curse itself, everything went black.


	2. Returning Home

**OK so this is chapter 1, and when all the Okami stuff begins...**

**Well it's the time when the events of Okami are anyways xD I'm sure there are probably plenty of ways for a flying dog to get out of Tsuta Ruins, but that wouldn't have worked with the story... /brick'd**

* * *

Bright light. All she could see, just light. Kal tried to close her eyes against it but she was frozen to the spot.

_Am I dying? _she gasped silently, her heart pounding even though it felt like the rest of her was made of stone.

Then something else came into her vision. From all the light she couldn't tell what it was to start with. As the light slowly started to dim she regained focus and realised what it was.

_Flowers? _What seemed like a wave of plants was flooding towards her through the light. Weird.

As soon as the floral tide hit her she suddenly found herself gasping for breath. Finally able to shut her eyes against the light, she stood, shaking, as she recovered from whatever had just happened. When she opened her eyes again there was no longer blinding light; instead she was back in Tsuta Ruins, on top of the statue.

The curse had vanished. She had no idea how, though she had a feeling the flowers she had seen had some connection with it.

Right. What now.

First things first, she glanced over the edge of the statue head. The water below was still purple and threatening; poisoned. Good thing she could fly over it. Falling in didn't seem like it would be the best experience.

Now she just had to work out how to get out of the ruins. Normally she could have teleported back to the city, but her collar was broken.

"Great," she sighed.

Instead she spread her wings and jumped into the air, soaring down towards the entrance. Upon closer inspection she could tell it was still locked; the heavy stone doors could not be opened without the ruins key. Now she just had to wait for someone to find the key and open the door. Fun.

Settling back down on one of the ledges at the side of the path again, she scraped her claws against the rock, deep in thought. What was she supposed to do now? Even if she got outside, she wouldn't know where to go - or where to find Waka. All she could do, she decided, was to try and find her way back to the city. Since she used teleportation as her main way of getting around she wasn't entirely sure how to get there, but she did have a basic idea.

Now all she had to do was wait.

* * *

Hours passed. Or perhaps minutes. Being as there was no way of telling the time since the sun couldn't be seen from in here, it was hard to tell. It seemed like hours, she'd leave it at that.

Kal let out another long sigh. She'd lost track of how many. It could be days or even weeks before anyone came in here again.

As if in irony to her thoughts, at that moment there was a loud rumbling sound. She glanced around in surprise as daylight flooded into the caves.

Finally! Now she could get out.

Assumingly the curse outside had lifted as well - otherwise there wouldn't have been any light seeping in. Kal climbed to her paws and cautiously glanced down at the path to see who had opened the door.

To her surprise, a wolf was trotting along the dusty floor. It was white with strange crimson markings on it's face and back, and a string of yellow beads floated around it's neck in an unnatural way. Whoever or whatever this was, they definitely weren't any ordinary wolf.

Kal was immediately suspicious. She wondered briefly whether this was what had been causing the curse to spread… but no, this wolf was far too small for evil such as that. In fact, it didn't seem evil at all. Yet the way it's fur glowed slightly in the light was unusual.

She was going to have to check this out.

"Hey! Hey, you! Wolf!" she called.

The wolf glanced around, mildly surprised. It scanned the area quickly before it finally noticed her.

"What? A dog? How did a dog get up there?"

Kal did a double take at the high-pitched voice. She hadn't expected the wolf to sound like that. Then suddenly she noticed something small bouncing around on the wolf's head.

"You've got taking fleas?" Kal blinked.

"Hey!" the bouncing thing cried. "I'm not a flea! Ammy here doesn't have fleas!"

The wolf let out a huff of agreement.

"And how the heck did you get up there anyway, doggy?"

Kal twitched an ear. Obviously he hadn't noticed that she had wings. From that angle it was probably hard to see anyway. Giving a shrug, Kal jumped from the ledge, easily floating down to the ground and landing a few metres away from the wolf. Now she was closer and able to pick up the wolf's scent she could tell it was a female, yet there was something strange about the scent.

"What!" the squeaky voice gasped. "The dog can fly!"

Smugly folding her wings again, Kal took a closer glance at the thing jumping around on the wolf's head. It was some kind of tiny humanoid, with a green glow surrounding it. Her glance travelling back to the wolf again, she noticed a scar along her side. The fur along it was singed slightly; the telltale sign of Pillow Talk. Whoever this was, they must have been someone important. Waka didn't go drawing his sword at any random animal or person. As a matter of fact he hardly ever attacked anyone, except…

… Demons.

Was this wolf a demon? No, she couldn't be. Demons were dark and had an evil aura about them.

And if she had been in a fight with Waka, where was he now?

"So what's a freaky dog like you doing here?" the little humanoid asked.

"Sightseeing," Kal responded sarcastically. "I got locked in, and now I must go and find my master."

"Your master? Wait… I bet you're one of those monsters! Ammy, she's one of Orochi's minions!"

"Orochi?" she blinked in disbelief. "You mean that eight-headed serpent from the legends?" She knew of Orochi as Waka guarded the Moon Cave, the shrine in which the beast had been defeated 100 years ago. But Orochi was _dead_. Why would this strange bouncing guy think she was one of his minions? Unless…

"So that's what's been spreading the curse!" she gasped. "Did someone or something remove Orochi's seal?"

"How do you know about it?" the bouncing guy asked, the suspiciousness in his tone sounding rather odd since he had such a high-pitched voice. "You are a demon, aren't you!"

"Oh, please," Kal rolled her eyes. "If I was a demon I would have eaten you by now. Wolf doesn't seem that appealing to me." She narrowed her eyes. "I wouldn't want to eat a bug either."

"Bug! Why is it always bug!" he snapped. "I am not, I repeat _not _a bug!"

"OK, OK, keep your hat on," Kal rolled her eyes.

"So if you're not a demon, then who are you?"

"Well," she muttered, the slight hint of a growl to her voice. "I always thought it better to introduce yourself before you demand to know who someone is."

"Sheesh, you're complaining about _our_ manners?" the little guy tutted. "The name's Issun. Issun the wandering artist. And this here is Amaterasu."

"The sun god? Seriously?" Kal raised an eyebrow. As unlikely as it seemed, that would explain the strange beads and the weird scent… "Well, I guess you were the one who defeated Orochi all those years ago. Come back to re-defeat him, I see."

"Well?" Issun persisted. "You are?"

"Oh," she blinked, remembering what she was supposed to be telling them. "Kal's the name, demon-fighting's my game. Except right now my game's pretty much lost. Big curse zone, got locked in here trying to escape, y'know?" She flicked her tail casually and padded past them. "So now I'm going on an owner hunt."

"So who's your owner, then?" Issun questioned, raising his voice as she neared the exit. "Is it that Kokari kid? He was saying he lost his dog in here."

"Huh? No, that's Ume," Kal shrugged. "Haven't seen him."

"So who's your master?" Issun asked again. "We might be able to help you find them!"

"Oh, I'll be fine on my own," Kal told him. Feeling a slight smile spread on her face she paused for effect. "Au revoir, ma chérie!" Then she padded out of the door.

"_What_!" she heard Issun cry in disbelief behind her. "She's that crazy prophet's dog!" he was silent for a moment. "Figures. Crazy prophet has a crazy dog. I don't trust her, Ammy!"

The wolf let out a bark of agreement.

"Pff. No pleasing some people nowadays," Kal muttered as she flapped her wings and took off into the sky.

* * *

Kal wasn't sure what to do next. She knew from some instinct inside her that she should try and find her owner, but with his ability to teleport he could be anywhere. The best thing to do would probably be to go along with her original plan, and find her way back to Sei'an City.

All she knew was that somewhere to the west of Agata Forest there was a large bridge connecting the divided East and West areas of Nippon, and across it was the coasts of Ryoshima, and through there the city. It was enough for her to go on for now, at least.

The fresh breeze didn't affect her flying too much as Kal soared across the sky, passing the river. The old bridge had finally given way, a few pieces of wood that still clung to the sides being dragged back and forth by the water. She'd never liked the river, but she wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was because of how fast and dangerous the water looked… after all, if she fell in there, she'd be just as helpless as any normal dog, unable to fly through water.

_Stop staring at the water_, she shook her head vigorously, realising she was hovering above the river. She carried on ahead, flying just above the top of the crevice so that she followed the path. Noticing some people below, Kal swooped down and landed near a small shack, continuing along the path on foot. According to the sign, the shack appeared to be a tea house, and there was only one customer. Further along there was a merchant stand - the chubby guy behind it glanced up as she walked past, then obviously realised that she was just a dog and unlikely to have any money to buy anything with.

Eventually the path opened up into a field - and when it did, Kal stopped in her tracks.

She knew that the large plains here were the windy region of Taka Pass, but it was unrecognisable now - the large curse which had spread in Agata was here as well, leaving only a small portion of the grass free. There wasn't any way of getting past it.

"Great," Kal sighed. She glanced up at the sky. The curse only seemed to be close to the ground, and she could see a few birds flying around above where the cursed zone was… perhaps if she was far enough from the ground it wouldn't effect her? It was worth a try.

Kal flapped her wings and was about to take off into the air when a sound on the breeze caught her attention. She pricked her ears. The sound was somewhere in the distance, but it was unmistakably a flute. Waka?

Pinpointing the source of the sound, Kal realised it was coming from the top of the cliff nearby. She jumped into the air and flew upwards, landing just beyond the low rail that surrounded the cliff to stop any travellers from falling off. The flute sound was clearer now, but it seemed… different. It was a different tune from the one Waka usually played, and from the sound of it whoever was using the instrument wasn't getting all of the notes right.

"Ouch," Kal muttered. Because of the wind it was hard to tell exactly where the sound was coming from, but it seemed to be beyond one of the massive rocks that protruded from the earth. Curiosity getting the better of her, Kal padded forward to find out who it was - and almost as importantly, how anyone could be so tone deaf.

She headed around the side of the rock, her paws making no noise on the grass. When the person who was playing the flute came into view she froze.

It wasn't a person. It was a green imp.

There were a bunch of them clustered around, one of which was playing a long, twig-like flute. The others each had them at their sides, and they jumped around crazily like monkeys.

Then one of them glanced around in her direction, letting out an imp shriek. It alerted the others and then suddenly they were all galloping boisterously towards her. How could they even see her through the masks?

No time for thinking about that. Had to get away from the imps.

Kal span around, prepared to make a run for it, but as soon as she did she had to jump back as a red imp narrowly missed smashing her in the head with it's lute. Another one jumped about nearby.

Looked like she wasn't going to get out of this that easy. She'd been prepared to just escape the imps but now she was surrounded she had to fight her way out. She wasn't worried. That was what the imps should have been doing.

The first green imp jumped towards her and she quickly snapped her sword from the sheath, swinging it around and slicing the imp in half. One or two of the other imps let out shrieks of surprise and scrambled away.

One of the red imps swung it's lute towards her but she easily jumped over it, diving forward and slashing through the imp while it didn't have it's weapon. Then two imps jumped towards her at once. No sweat. Kal leapt backwards and the imps crashed into each other. Good thing imps were so stupid.

There were only a few imps left now, jumping around frantically. They took a last glance at her - she assumed, since they had the cloth-like masks over their faces if they actually had any - and let out squawks of fear, galloping off over the cliffs.

"Easy," Kal scoffed, turning and heading in the other direction.

She'd barely gone a few inches when she ran into something. Some kind of rope-like tendril whipped against her face and she felt something sharp slice through her shoulder. Kal was thrown backwards, just about managing to keep her balance. She cast a quick glance at her shoulder; there were various scars of different sizes scored through her fur. Glancing up to see what had hit her, she saw a large plant-like beast, it's tail long and thin with a spiked ball at the end. Ouch. She knew what this thing was, for she had come across a few of them before - a bud ogre.

The ogre let out a loud growl that echoed around the valley below. It didn't phase her though. She knew that bug ogres were incredibly difficult to defeat; their buds were too tough to break open with a sword, so she'd be stupid to try. Besides, she'd been sidetracked. She needed to get back to the city and she was wasting time here.

"Toodle pip, tubby plant!" she barked, turning and running for the side of the cliff. There was a clumsy scrabbling sound as the bud ogre charged after her. Seemed it was just as stupid as the imps.

Kal reached the edge of the grass and, manoeuvring her way through a gap in the low fence, she dived over the edge of the cliff. When she was only a few metres from the ground she spread her wings and lifted back up into the air again. She hovered there for a few moments to watch as the bug ogre tumbled off the cliff and crashed to the ground. Then she turned and flew higher, clearing the cursed zone and heading for the city.

* * *

The big drawbridge had been lifted. That was strange. The bridge was the only way to get to the city from the eastern side of Nippon, so it was hardly ever raised. Two guards were stood in front of the area where the bridge usually connected with the near side, and the phoenix statues which usually blazed with fire were completely out. Good thing she didn't need to use the bridge to cross the deep crevice in the first place.

As she carried on heading towards the city she passed the beaches of Ryoshima Coast. It was almost depressing to see the grass and water swallowed up by a large cursed zone, only leaving a small space that lead up to the guardian sapling protecting the area. The little power the wilted tree had left wasn't enough to stop the curse from engulfing the rest of the coast. She wished she knew how to revive it to it's former glory…

But what would have happened to the city? Kal felt a sudden pang of anxiety as she wondered how the citizens would fare if Sei'an was cursed as well. Quickly shaking her head, she flew over the cliff surrounding the city and looked down.

The cursed zone stopped just outside the gate to the city, to her relief. Two of the city's guards were stood outside the gate, looking very nervous as they stared out into the cursed zone ahead of them. Yet emanating from the depths of the city were clouds of sickening green mist. There was definitely something going on. Making sure she was clear of the ominous shadows, Kal flew down and landed a few metres away from the guards.

"Kal!" one of them gasped, recognising her in an instant. After all, there weren't exactly many flying dogs known around the city.

"Who else?" she muttered. "Now tell me what the heck is going on here!"

"A-are you looking for something? I don't have any food on me right now…"

_Idiots_, Kal sighed inwardly. She didn't particularly spend a lot of time around the guards - after all, they had a job to do. Most of the people in the city knew who she was, but mainly for her strange appearance. Not all of them had got to grips with the fact that she could understand them, for starters…

"Be careful in the city," the other guard warned. "Ever since this cursed zone appeared, that mist appeared in the city, and now there seems to be an illness spreading…"

"Illness, huh?" Kal raised an eyebrow. That didn't sound good.

"I'm not sure if it effects dogs or not, but I haven't seen much wildlife around for a while."

That was no surprise. If there was a murky fog hanging above the city, no animals would want to stay there. And the curse zone had swallowed up loads of wildlife that she knew wouldn't re-appear until it vanished. She was going to take the risk.

Acknowledging the guards with a flick of her tail - which of course they didn't realise was a gesture at all - she padded through the city gate and headed down the path leading to the entrance. She could smell the mist from here. Not exactly the most pleasant scent.

Passing through the entrance, she could now see the full effect of the mist. There wasn't the usual bustling-with-life air to the city, and instead the place was almost silent. The fog was so thick that it was hard to see anything more than five metres away, and the large torches that usually kept the place light were out.

"Wow," she muttered to herself. She had been intending to go back to the Tao Troop ship as soon as she got here, but she needed to make sure the villagers were okay first. Besides, the ship was so high up, she doubted it would be effected by the mist, so it could wait.

She headed along the path through the middle of the city. The first person she noticed was the western-fashioned samurai Dandy, looking like he was trying to do push-ups.

"I doubt this is a good time for exercising," she said aloud, raising an eyebrow. It took her a moment to realise that the samurai had collapsed and was trying to get back up again without success.

Giving herself a brisk shake, she hurried over. He didn't even seem to notice that she'd approached.

"Need a hand?" she asked, knowing he couldn't understand her. She grabbed the collar of his shirt in her jaws and helped him pull himself up into a sitting position.

"What the?" he cried, his arms flailing as he just about managed to avoid toppling over backwards. "Oh, Kal, it's you."

_Sorry about that, _she apologised silently. _But you weren't going to manage on your own…_

"I don't know what's wrong with me!" he tutted, wiping his forehead with one sleeve. "I was just out for a walk and then… I suddenly got so weak, and-" he broke off into a bout of coughing.

"You don't look so good," Kal commented, leaning away slightly. Luckily the mist didn't seem to be effecting her, but she could see why it was making everyone so ill…

"I don't know what Himiko's doing about this," he continued. "No one's seen her for days."

_Really?_ Kal blinked in surprise. A few years ago, the Emperor had stepped down from Sei'an's king, and handed the leadership over to his daughter. Himiko had been a great ruler, caring for all the people of the city, so why wasn't she doing something now?

"If I were you I'd get back home, before the mist gets to you as well."

"I'll be fine," she shrugged, casting one final glance at Dandy before continuing along the path. She hoped he'd be okay. There wasn't really anything she could do…

She headed for the aristocrats' quarter, intending to find out of the fog was there as well. As the followed the path she noticed Hayate the messenger trying to get back to his feet as well, and one of the city dwellers trying to use the wall to pull themselves up. Watching the villagers suffering made her feel so… powerless. She'd always tried to help them out when she could, but this time she couldn't do anything to help them.

As she crossed over the bridge she realised that the canal had dried up as well. She couldn't recall that happening before.

The drawbridge connecting the two quarters of the city was disconnected as well - instead of raising, the bridge lowered down to water-level to stop people getting across. But there was no water here, making the lake seem very empty.

She'd have to fly across again. Spreading her wings, she lifted off into the air, trying not to breath in any of the mist. She landed on the far side of the bridge and carried on along the path towards the place where Rao sometimes stayed. Given the current situation and how bad a shape the city was in, the chances were she'd be there now.

Some of the townsfolk were waiting outside the building, and at first she couldn't work out why, but then she remembered that Rao sometimes held ceremonies to keep their hopes up. With this fog hanging gloomily above the city she wasn't surprised there were so many people here.

One of the guards acknowledged her with a nod as she passed, and she pushed her way through the curtain door of the building. Rao was sat at the altar in the centre of the room, meditating. She didn't seem to be affected by the mist, which was a relief, but there was still something different about her…

"Hey Rao, what's up?" she barked to let her know she was there.

"Hm?" the priestess glanced up from her meditation. "Oh! Kal!"

She hopped gracefully from the table, landing in front of it with expert balance. As she looked at her once more, Kal finally worked out why she looked different. Her fringe, which she usually had parted to the side of her face, now hung down over her right eye, and the beads on her necklace were red instead of blue.

"What's with the new hairstyle?" Kal joked, her tail wagging slightly.

Rao blinked and self-consciously ran her hand over her fringe. Kal froze. Had she just understood what she was saying…?

No. Besides, she'd been looking at her hair, she'd probably worked out what she was thinking.

"Did you want something? It's just that there are a lot of people who seek my assistance…"

_Why are you just sat here meditating then?_ Kal thought, but she didn't say it out loud. Not that she'd be able to understand her anyway. She hoped.

"The city is in a lot of trouble. We need to help them."

Kal nodded in agreement. Though she didn't see what she could do…

Well, she'd checked on the city. Her original intention came back to her mind at that point. She still needed to get back to the Tao Troop ship and find Waka.

"Bye, Rao," she called as she turned to leave. "Don't keep those people waiting too long."

She glanced back quickly to see if Rao had understood her, but the priestess made no reaction to her comment this time.

_Must be going paranoid_, Kal shrugged to herself, then raced outside and took off into the air once more, heading for the skies.


	3. The Hunt for the Crystal

"Kal, you made it back!"

Kamo was stood in his usual place outside the Tao Troop ship, and he noticed her as soon as she arrived, landing lightly on the platform and folding her wings neatly beside her. "'Course I made it back. I'm not defenceless, you know."

"The captain said you'd be okay," he continued, unaware of her comment. "And I guess he was right! Didn't you get trapped by one of the curses?"

"Yeah," Kal shrugged. "Orochi's return and all that…" her eyes drifted over to the door.

"Oh! If you're looking for the captain, he's out on a mission right now."

"Mission?" she blinked. Great. Still hadn't found him.

"I don't know when he'll be back. He left a few days ago. Me and Abe are left guarding the place for now."

Kal cringed. Abe was the newest member of the Tao Troopers, and still a novice. He didn't seem to have yet realised that she could understand what he was saying, no matter how much she reacted to his words. And the worst part was, he often spoke to her in soppy pet-talk…

Kamo noticed her reaction; he'd been one of the troopers for as long as she could remember, and for that, as well as the fact that he treated more like another soldier than a pet, made her have respect for him. "Look, I know you don't like Abe, but give him a chance, okay? He's still new."

"Whatever you say, chief," Kal sighed, her ears and tail drooping as she pushed her way through the door. _Let's get this over with._

The familiar glowing pillars and stain-glass windows made her feel slightly better. It was good to be back in the place she considered home. Her claws tapped lightly on the smooth floor and the sun cast her a long shadow along the room.

"Hey, Kal! You're back!"

"Here we go," Kal rolled her eyes as Abe waved at her enthusiastically.

"Here girl! I bet captain Waka's little doggy was no match for all the horrible monsters out there!" He clicked his fingers as if that was going to make her go over to him.

_Little?_ Kal raised an eyebrow. Despite how much Abe intimidated her, Kamo's words echoed in her mind. _Give him a chance._

"Fine, fine!" she huffed, reluctantly padding over to where Abe was stood awkwardly in his geta shoes. If he didn't have the trident to hold on to he'd probably never manage to stay upright, and he kept adjusting the yellow mask on his face as if he were worried it was going to fall off.

"You poor thing," he said over-sympathetically, patting her on the head. "Lost for days and then you come back and the captain isn't even here."

"The poor dog will be even worse if you give her brain damage," Kal growled, shying away from him and rubbing her head with one paw.

"I wonder what mission the captain's on this time," Abe commented, momentarily lost in thought. "I think he was going to the east to look for something and - gah!" he broke off as he nearly lost his balance again. "Sheesh, I'll never get used to these shoes…"

"Looking? What was he looking for?" Kal demanded, listening intently now that he'd finally given her some information.

"What's the matter?" Abe blinked, confused at why she had suddenly started barking at him.

Resisting the urge to slap a paw across her face - or to bite him - Kal sighed. This was no use. Still, she wasn't going to find Waka here. She doubted it was her he was looking for - after all, Kamo had said that he knew she'd be alright. Perhaps she could help find whatever it was? After all, she had a good sense of smell…

Turning, she headed for the door again.

"Okay, you go and find the captain!" Abe smiled, waving her off.

_Find the captain, _Kal continued silently, _and get as far away from you as possible…_

As she pushed open the door once more, Kamo glanced around.

"Leaving so soon? I'll assume you're going to look for captain Waka?"

Kal nodded. _Might be easier said than done._

"Well, it was either that or trying to escape from Abe. I'm not entirely sure what the captain's mission is, but I think I heard him muttering about some kind of crystal…"

"Crystal?" Kal blinked. Was that what Waka was looking for?

"Yeah, when he was looking at that screen thing on his desk. I think he's off looking for a crystal. It had another name but… well, eavesdropping isn't really one of my strong points." Kamo self-consciously rubbed the back of his head, as if he were embarrassed that he'd been listening to his captain muttering to himself.

"So he's looking for some kind of crystal, huh?" Kal half-closed her eyes in thought. She wasn't sure where to find any crystals, but she might be able to find something… "Thanks, Kamo."

She barked in farewell before heading off along the platform. When she reached the end she unfolded her wings and jumped over the edge, disappearing into the clouds.

* * *

Taka Pass was a marvel of a sight. It had taken Kal many hours to get back here, and now that she had the curse had lifted. She landed on one of the watch towers to inspect - and admire - the view.

The area was mainly grass, with the odd rock or cluster of bamboo shoots, and a small stream trickled past not far away. Attached to the tower she was on was a wire with some large flags hanging from it, which would have looked amazing blowing in the wind, but there wasn't much other than a faint breeze.

Now then, back to business. Where to find a crystal in the whole of the eastern side of Nippon…

She noticed something in the corner of her eye, and she glanced down over the side of the tower to see a white shape racing along one of the paths, flowers and grass sprouting from the ground in it's wake. Amaterasu. So she was the one lifting the curses. She didn't know where the goddess was going, but she seemed to be heading in the direction of the bamboo forest not far away, which could be seen over the cliffs.

Kal sat and thought for a moment. A crystal would be likely to be somewhere underground. Checking every cave around here for crystals wouldn't be the most interesting task, but perhaps she could find something that would lead her in the right direction.

She could see a tunnel leading into one of the cliffs from here; just below the place where she had fought the imps before. Deciding to start there, she flew over to investigate.

Remnants of rock were scattered around the entrance, suggesting that the tunnel had once been blocked by boulders, and someone had used explosives to get through. The walls were earthy and the floor smooth, as if it had been in use for a long time. To avoid going too fast and crashing into anything, Kal glided down to the ground and ran along instead.

Not far in, the tunnel opened out to a small cave. A rickety wooden staircase lined one side, and a clear pool of water spread over the other half, looking almost as if the surface was glowing slightly. Curiosity getting the better of her, she padded over.

The water was so shiny she couldn't even see her reflection in it. Weird. Making a mental note not to drink any, she gave the pond an experimental sniff. Just smelt of water. But there was a different smell coming from somewhere else…

Jerking away from the pool, Kal span around and took a second glance at the small clearing around her. Now that she looked closer she noticed that in some places the dusty ground was splattered with blood. And there was no denying the familiar scent that lingered either…

"Waka," she muttered under her breath.

Yet there was another scent too, not quite as strong but still recognisable. Amaterasu. Obviously Waka and the sun goddess had battled again, the latter being victorious. Was he testing her strength in battle? There didn't seem to be much other explanation.

Giving herself a brisk shake, Kal glanced around. There wasn't enough blood for either of them to have gained any particularly serious injuries, so that was a relief. The scent wasn't that old, so Waka was sure to be somewhere nearby…

The first place she headed was to the wooden stairs. They creaked unnervingly as she walked up them and she prepared to make a jump for it if they collapsed beneath her, but it wasn't necessary. She reached the top of the staircase in one piece, and sniffed the air. She was on the right track…

Another tunnel loomed ahead, though there was the faint glow of daylight coming from around the corner. As she raced through it, trying to avoid the large puddle of water the dripped from the roof, she eventually emerged onto the cliff where she had been attacked by the imps before. Luckily there didn't seem to be any here now. She'd probably scared them off.

Kal spread her wings and took off into the air, flying up to the highest part of the cliffs where she could get a good view of the surroundings. She could see the tops of the trees in Agata in the distance, and in the other direction a small mountain with a windmill on top. Before that was a village that resided in the cliff sides. That looked like the most promising place to get any information. She could see the path leading from Taka Pass to the village from here. Making her decision, Kal glided down to the sloping path and raced towards the village.

* * *

The first thing Kal noticed when she passed through the gate of the village was how gloomy it was. The sky seemed darker than usual even though it was still daytime, and though various gullies snaked through the earth from a well in the clearing there wasn't a drop of water in them. The well had a windmill mechanism attached to it, leading her to assume that it was powered by wind. There wasn't even the mildest breeze, however. Strange.

Across the clearing was an inn; there was a path on either side, one leading up and one down. Deciding at random to take the path on the right, she headed up the slope.

The path curved around the back of the inn and headed up the cliff side, with several more corners before it eventually opened out slightly. A small fleet of stairs lead up to a house, but for now something else had caught her attention. There were a row of small statues not far away, the kind travellers would sit and pray to for a safe journey. How a statue could give you a safe journey she didn't know.

Suddenly there was a loud growl that echoed around. Kal glanced away from the statues for a moment to see what it was, but before she saw anything something slammed into her side and she was knocked over the edge of the cliff.

"Whoa!" she gasped as she quickly spread her wings before she fell into anything. It was a long way down…

She quickly stopped falling, hovering just below the edge of the cliff. What had just hit her? It was quite big, whatever it was… and the growl she'd heard had sounded quite like a dog.

Floating back up so that she was above the edge of the cliff once more, she glanced down to see a muscular Tosa dog, growling fiercely as it watched her with one eye. The other was missing, and a scar ran along the dog's face. It was obviously an experienced fighter.

"Sheesh, is that how you greet everyone?" she tutted.

"Only when they threaten the village!" the dog growled, his voice low and rough. "Demon!"

_Demon? Not again! _Kal sighed silently. "Look, sir growls-a-lot, I'm not a demon, OK? I have wings, yes, but that doesn't make me a demon." She dropped down to land gracefully in front of him, making sure she didn't look threatening. She knew she could beat the life out of this dog if she'd wanted to, but it was better not to get into a fight.

"That being said," the Tosa snarled. "How should I believe what you say?"

"I look like a dog, don't I?"

The dog let out a huff, unwilling to drop it's defence. He lifted his head slightly and let out two deep barks.

_Wow. Scary._ Kal blinked in confusion. What was that supposed to do?

Then she realised the growling was louder. Four more dogs appeared over the small wall in front of her; a Pointer, a Collie, a Japanese Spitz and a Boxer. They took up a semi-circle position, surrounding her against the edge of the cliff, growling fiercely.

"You guys sure know how to treat your visitors, don't you," Kal raised an eyebrow, remaining calm. That was the number one thing she had been taught.

"Who are you?" the Tosa snapped, taking a step forward. These dogs definitely meant business.

"Me? I'm just a dog trying to find her owner," Kal shrugged honestly. She looked over the group once more. There was something strangely familiar about the scarves around their necks… "Wait, wait. You lot are the Satomi Canine Warriors, are you not?"

"How do you know?" the Collie's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I believe that Ume is one of your former comrades. Or should that be Jin?"

"You know Jin?" The Spitz gasped, rising up from her defensive pose. "We haven't seen him in ages. Is he well?"

"Yeah," Kal nodded, deciding not to mention that the last she'd heard he was lost somewhere in Tsuta Ruins. "So this is Kusa Village, right?"

The Spitz nodded.

Kal thought for a moment. "I don't suppose you know of any kind of crystal?"

"Why should we tell you?" the Tosa barked.

"Tei!" the Spitz snapped, stepping forward, standing up to the other dog even though he was over twice her size. "I don't think she's a threat."

"She knows Jin," the Collie added.

Tei glared at Kal through narrowed eyes for a long moment. Then he stopped growling and stepped back. "Fine. But if you make one wrong move…"

"I'm not here to hurt anyone," Kal assured him. "So do you know anything about a crystal?"

"The only crystal we know of around here is the serpent crystal," the Pointer shrugged. "It's deep within Gale Shrine."

"No one really knows what it's for," the Spitz continued. "I'm surprised someone from outside the village even knows about it."

"So, where is this Gale Shrine?" Kal asked.

"Past the house and up the path," Tei informed her, still an edge of dislocating to his voice. "There's a cave in the side of the mountain up there that leads to the shrine."

"Ok, thanks," Kal nodded. "See ya." She spread her wings and jumped up to the ledge above, then dashed away towards the path.

"Wait!" the Spitz cried. "At the shrine, there's…"

But Kal had already vanished.

"We should have warned her," she sighed.

"Don't worry, Chi," Tei smiled. "She'll find out one way or the other."


	4. Dog vs Fire

**Okay sorry for the chapterspam, but since the whole story is actually finished I can upload the whole thing xD PREPARE YOURSELVES.**

**Also I screwed up on ways-out-of-an-area again OTL**

**But Waka must have at least ATTEMPTED to get the Serpant Crystal before he steals it from us, right? He ain't that lazy.**

**... Okay maybe he is.**

**And congratulations, if you read the whole chapter you now know how to say "peace of cake" in French.**

**Au revoir!**

* * *

The rocky cliff face of the mountain loomed ahead of Kal, blocking out the sunlight where she was stood at the base. She could just about see the sails of the windmill from here, outlined in the low light. Sure enough, there was a tunnel at the end of the path. It was pitch black and foreboding, but she knew she had to go inside. Whether it was because the crystal Waka was looking for might be inside, or the fact that nothing this interesting ever happened to her, she wasn't sure.

Once inside the tunnel, it didn't seem so dark. It lead down to a small clearing, where daylight seeped through a few tiny gaps in the walls. There were two large pools of water lined with jagged rocks, only a thin passage separating them like a bridge. At the far side there was what looked like some kind of ancient door, yet a red evil-looking barrier blocked it off.

"I came all the way here and the darn place is blocked off?" Kal groaned in disbelief, standing and staring at the barrier, trying to think of a way through or to get rid of it. She'd spent far too much time and effort getting here for this to be a dead end.

"Why would you want to get in there? Surely you cannot be our saviour?"

"Huh?" Kal span around in shock, trying to see who had just spoken to her.

There was no one there.

_Am I hearing things now?_ she wondered, narrowing her eyes and casting one more glance around before she turned back to watch the barrier once more. Perhaps it was because of the evil barricading the door…

"What is a canine doing here at the Gale Shrine?"

She definitely wasn't hearing things. Finally working out where the voice was coming from, Kal glanced above her and jumped back in surprise, just about managing to avoid falling into the water.

There was some kind of human spirit floating in the air; a man with a green patterned kimono and an unusual hat that resembled the windmill outside. His black hair was long at the sides and seemed to resemble dog ears.

"I…" Kal stuttered. This wasn't the first spirit she'd encountered, but it was still strange to think that someone dead had just spoken to her. Or that spirits were able to understand what she said, whether they could when they were alive or not. Swallowing, she started again. "I-I'm looking for something."

"You are an unusual dog, are you not?" the spirit commented curiously.

"I guess. I thought the wings kind of gave that away."

"You have wings? Then I am assuming you are a Tsubasa Inu?"

Kal blinked. He could tell she was a dog, but hadn't noticed the wings on her back? Usually that was the first thing people noticed.

The spirit seemed to detect her confusion. "Ah, you see, my eyes have failed me. I cannot see physically, but I can see you with my mind's eye. It seems that you would be too old for an ordinary dog, yet you are still young."

"Well… I suppose…" Kal muttered, still wary.

"My name is Yatsu. It has been a long time since anyone came this way. Guarding this shrine as little more than a spirit can get very lonely at times… anyway, you say you are looking for something, dog? May I ask what?"

"Something called the Serpent Crystal," Kal shrugged. "I was told it's somewhere in here."

"Then you were told correctly. But only the Satomi Power Orbs can grant access to the shrine, and the only one they shall grant access to is the one who shall defeat Crimson Helm."

"Crimson Helm?"

"My, you came here not knowing of the great beast that resides in these caves? You should turn back. It isn't safe here."

Kal was slightly taken aback. "I've fought demons before. I'll manage. Isn't there any other way in?"

Yatsu was silent for a moment. "Yes, there are other ways into the shrine, but this is the only entrance accessible to those who are not airborne. The demons inside are very powerful, however. Much more powerful than any outside."

"Nothing I can't handle," Kal protested defiantly. Besides, she was just looking for the Serpent Crystal. If she happened to flay some demon in the process then so be it.

"You have such a strong determination. Are you of any connection to the man who was here earlier?"

Her defiance vanished in an instant to be replaced with hope. "Man? Who was it?"

"I do not know who, but he was able to see me. I believe he was also looking for the Serpent Crystal."

Kal thought carefully for a moment. "Did he speak with an accent?"

Yatsu nodded.

That confirmed her thoughts. "Thanks!" she barked as she span around and raced back over to the tunnel.

"Do not underestimate the power of demons, young one," Yatsu called, just loud enough for her to hear before she vanished into the dark once more.

* * *

Kal circled the mountain twice before she eventually noticed a gap in the rocks halfway up that looked impossible to climb up to. She glided effortlessly over to it and landed just within the tunnel, glancing around.

It looked pretty similar to the one she had been in a moment ago; dark and gloomy, but because of the dimming light the sides were still visible and she could see where she was going. She recalled what Yatsu had said about there being a powerful demon in here. It didn't scare her, but she decided she'd better be on her guard.

Eyes and ears alert, she cautiously padded along the tunnel, trying to ignore the pebbles that dug into her paw pads. The floor wasn't as smooth as in the tunnel at ground level, probably because it was unlikely that such an inaccessible ground would have been walked on enough to have been worn down.

Suddenly the silence was broken by a loud monstrous roar from somewhere deeper inside the mountain. It made the ground shake and Kal flinched as she was showered with pebbles that fell from the roof of the tunnel. Though it wasn't as loud this time, she knew she'd heard that roar before.

"Okay, I'll be careful later," she muttered to herself, taking off at a run.

The tunnel rose and fell many times before she finally saw some orange light up ahead. That couldn't be right. She couldn't have emerged from the other side of the mountain already…

Then she skidded to a halt just in time to stop herself from falling down into a large cavern below.

And it was a good thing she did.

At first she thought the place was on fire, but as her eyes adjusted to the light she realised that the burning shapes were no ordinary flames. They looked like some kind of serpent heads that seemed to have risen out of the floor. There were a number of them as well. In fact, as she glanced around the cave, she counted eight…

_An eight-headed serpent? _This_ is Orochi!_

It couldn't be. Orochi wasn't made of fire, and the last she heard he was in the Moon Cave. Was this some kind of fire copy of him?

She scanned the room again, realising that this inferno Orochi hadn't noticed her. Yet. At one end of the room there was some kind of altar which one of the heads was guarding so closely it looked like a miracle the wood hadn't yet burst into flames. On the altar was what looked like a berry, but it reflected the light more than any fruit could. _That must be the Serpent Crystal._

On the opposite side another of the heads appeared to be blocking another tunnel, which looked like the only other way out. Kal narrowed her eyes. The rest of the heads were spread out around the cave, though they appeared to be mainly on the opposite side to her. Eventually her eyes adjusted completely to the bright light, and she could see that there was someone else in the cave as well.

_Waka!_

The fire Orochi was obviously trying to stop him from getting to the crystal. Quick as he was, Waka was easily avoiding all of the serpent's attacks, but it was making sure he didn't escape. It knew that he would tire eventually and it seemed willing to wait.

Right. She couldn't just stand here and watch. Time for action.

Kal jumped down into the cavern, leaping quickly from rock to rock till she reached the ground. Much quicker than flying down. As soon as she landed she took a deep breath - trying not to choke on the smoky smell and the dust that floated up from the ancient rocks - and let out an ear-splitting roar.

_Wow._ She hadn't expected that to be so loud. The noise echoed around the cave and in seconds all of the fire Orochi heads had turned to see what it was. Instinctively Kal lowered into a defensive position, a growl rising in her throat.

Taking advantage of the serpent's lack of attention, Waka swiftly jumped out of it's reach and floated up to the tunnel in the roof and somewhat safety.

Well, she'd distracted the fire Orochi. Her plan had worked. Unfortunately, she hadn't planned what she was going to do afterwards…

Oops.

One of the heads let out a loud roar, and Kal only just managed to jump out of the way in time as a massive fireball exploded against the wall behind her. There was no way she could fight against this thing without getting turned into roast meat. Had to escape quickly before she ended up cornered here.

As the fire Orochi let out another roar, she jumped into the air and spread her wings. Another fireball smashed into the ground below, and Kal flinched as she felt flames scorch her fur. But the wind from the fiery explosion carried her up slightly, and she hurriedly flapped her wings before she fell back down into the flames.

She dodged her way around more fireballs as she headed for the tunnel in the roof, the last one smashing against the rocks just below the entrance the second she disappeared inside. The orange glow slowly faded from the walls of the tunnel as Kal ran through it, finally coming to a halt when she was out of range of the monster's attacks - and out of breath. She stood breathing heavily for a moment before regaining her composure.

Then she realised with a start that Waka was standing in front of her.

"Merci," he smiled. "Although I would have got out of there in the end anyway, ma chérie."

_Guess that's as good as a thanks as I'll get, _Kal thought silently, though she didn't really mind. She padded over to him and took up a loyal position at his side, pressing her muzzle into the palm of his hand.

"I'm surprised you managed to find this place," Waka commented, quickly ruffling her ears before glancing back in the direction of the cave.

Kal followed his gaze, even though there was nothing to see as the cave wasn't in sight from here. She knew what he was thinking. The Serpent Crystal was still inside the cave, being guarded by the fire Orochi and whatever that Crimson Helm thing Yatsu had mentioned was. Why was he looking for it anyway? It hadn't seemed particularly special - although the demon had been pretty determined to stop him from getting it…

"I'm assuming you know about the Serpent Crystal?" he asked, as if reading her thoughts.

Kal nodded.

"Orochi has created a barrier across the entrance of the Moon Cave to stop anyone from getting in. With the Serpent Crystal I can dispel it."

So that was why the crystal was so important. No wonder Orochi didn't want anyone taking it.

_Well, no point standing around here,_ Kal shrugged, stepping forwards.

"There isn't much point trying to retrieve it again," Waka continued, sitting on one of the large rocks at the side of the tunnel. "Amaterasu is on her way here to defeat Crimson Helm. There isn't much she and the little bug can use the crystal for, so we might as well take it once the coast is clear."

"Let them do all the work, eh?" Kal muttered, raising an eyebrow. She jumped onto one of the boulders, flicked off a few sharp pebbles and sat down to wait. "Why not."

* * *

Kal watched from the safety of the tunnel as Amaterasu fought against Crimson Helm, which turned out to be some kind of cow-type demon with Orochi's head. She defeated it easily - possibly something to do with the strange orbs that circled around her as if deflecting the monster's attacks. As the demon realised it was defeated, it backed away, summoning the fire Orochi heads. Then another person had arrived; a middle-aged man with a partially bald head, purple clothes, and a wooden sword. He hadn't looked much to start with, but he somehow managed to slice through all the fire Orochi's heads, and the flaming beast vanished. Kal was surprised his sword hadn't burnt to a crisp - or at least caught on fire. Then he'd pulled off some kind of whirlwind technique, slicing Crimson Helm to pieces. Looking partially angry and partially horrified, he'd muttered something she couldn't hear before running off. Strange.

"Wait here," Waka ordered quietly, jumping into the air and using the wings on his hat to float down to the altar where the Serpent Crystal was. Amaterasu and Issun didn't notice him until the wolf glanced around.

"Oh, am I interrupting something, ma chérie?"

* * *

A few minutes later Kal stepped back as Waka landed back in the tunnel, carrying the crystal. Even up close it still looked like a bunch of grapes.

"Morceau de gâteau," he said with a flourish, flicking one of the draping wings of his helmet. "I'm afraid I don't have enough time to fix your collar, so do you know the way to the Moon Cave?"

Kal let out a long sigh and nodded. Great. More travelling across the country.

"In that case, I shall meet you there," he waved. "Don't take too long."

Then he vanished in a cloud of sparks.

"Thanks," Kal muttered, turning and heading back along the tunnel in the direction of fresh air. Still, if he was going to use the Serpent Crystal to dispel the barrier at the Moon Cave, that meant Amaterasu would probably be heading over there too to fight Orochi. Kal quickened her pace. This was going to be interesting.


	5. The Eight Headed Serpent

**Not much to say here other than OoC moments are fun.**

**When there is actually a hidden viable reason for them.**

**Hazaah.**

* * *

Thunder rumbled ominously overhead as Kal glided down to land on the sandy path that stretched out over Lake Harami from Shinshu Field. This was the way to the Moon Cave, the entrance only being accessible by foot. She had only been here a few times before when Waka had brought her with him to check on Orochi's seal, but as she headed through the large gate and the sky suddenly turned an eerie shade of purple, she realised that the place looked completely different. Instead of the shrine there was a large mountain, clouds swirling around the top of it like a tornado, only slower. It certainly looked like the sort of place a powerful demon might reside…

As she neared the entrance she saw the barrier blocking it; dark pink in colour, with lots of snake-like shapes darting to and fro. She climbed the stairs in front of the cave to where Waka was sat.

"I didn't think that little encounter with the fire monster would have made you slower at flying, ma chérie," he teased.

Kal let out an apologetic sigh. She'd flown straight from Gale Shrine to Agata Forest, then decided there wasn't much point on heading over to the Moon Cave until Amaterasu was on her way there. She'd been surprised to see the moon in the sky above the forest - after all, it had never shone over Agata as far as she could remember. But she'd met Ume while his owners, Kokari and his father Karude, were preparing to go to the festival in Kamiki Village, and he'd filled her in on what had happened; Kokari had caught the giant fish Whopper which was said to have swallowed the moon's reflection on the water, and since then the moon had returned. As far-fetched as it sounded, after Ume had shown her the giant fish lying on the shore, she'd had to believe them.

Then she'd noticed that Ume had a few scars on his side that hadn't been there before. "Hey, what happened to you?"

"Hm? Oh, the scars? I was in a battle against Amaterasu, to be sure she had the right to bare the canine tracker."

Kal had decided not to ask what a canine tracker was and get into all sorts of confusion. "You fought with Amaterasu?"

"Yeah. I was no match for her, though. Especially with that mirror she had on her back."

When she'd seen the sun goddess disappear down the tunnel leading from Agata to Shinshu Field, Kal had taken off and flown over to the Moon Cave to make sure she got there first. She didn't want to miss the chance to take a chunk out of Orochi.

The barrier that loomed ahead didn't appear to be that thick, but since such a powerful demon had created it, it was probably stronger than it looked. She didn't dare touch it. Instead she experimentally swiped a pebble into the air with one paw. It soared towards the barrier, and as it hit the purple screen there was a spark of what looked like electricity. Kal ducked as the small rock went flying over her head. _Yup, definitely don't want to touch that._

If Waka was at all bothered by her curiosity, he gave no sign; he was sat, legs crossed, watching the barricaded tunnel ahead, almost unmoving other than blinking and breathing. Briefly Kal wondered how exactly he would manage to remove the barrier, but she wasn't going to find out until Amaterasu got here. So she settled down to wait, watching the dark shapes snaking across the barrier. Was it supposed to scare her? The barrier not only stopped anyone from getting in, but also Orochi from getting out. Perfectly safe out here.

Eventually there was the distant sound of pawsteps racing in their direction. Kal glanced over her shoulder to see the red and white wolf swiftly speeding along the path leading to the Moon Cave, a young woman sitting on her back. _Must be Orochi's sacrifice. _She slowed to a halt at the top of the stairs in front of the entrance and the girl hopped off.

"I knew you would come, Amaterasu," Waka spoke almost formally, his voice having a rare sense of seriousness to it, though it quickly vanished. "I take it you enjoyed your rendezvous with the sacrificial girl, eh?"

"None of your business, ya half-baked prophet!" Issun's high-pitched voice broke in.

_Half-baked prophet? I see he's gained a new nickname,_ Kal thought silently, not daring to say it out loud with Issun there to hear her.

The flea-sized humanoid noticed her smug expression. "I see the lost lapdog finally found her fruitcake of an owner," he mocked.

"And I see the bug has nothing better to do than laze around on a wolf's head," Kal muttered, turning to face the barrier once more.

"Laze around? Pah! That's rich coming from you!" Issun laughed, jumping around on Amaterasu's head. Kal wondered how the wolf put up with him.

Waka stood up and took the Serpent Crystal out from his sleeve, then carefully placed it in the centre of the barrier. Amazingly it stayed there in apparently mid-air as he played a few notes on his flute. As if enchanted, the snake shapes in the barrier began to slither towards the crystal, causing a bright glow around it, until eventually both the barrier and the crystal vanished, leaving the entrance to the cave clear, the tunnel with a slight purple mist floating inside easier to see.

Kal blinked. _Wow._

Taking a step back, Waka turned to his audience.

"Well, the Moon Cave is open. You've played your part. Now leave the rest to me, Amaterasu."

Kal glanced at him in surprise. _Leave the rest to you? We get to fight Orochi? Awesome!_

Then suddenly she felt the ground shake, and she quickly jumped to her paws. A loud rumbling sound echoed around, but she was unable to tell where it was coming from - though she could easily guess. She looked back down the tunnel to see some red eyes through the mist…

_Orochi?_

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind when a shadowy crocodile-like head shot towards them. Waka glanced around just in time and dived out of the way, though Amaterasu was knocked aside as the monster grabbed the maiden in his jaws.

Kal, already out of Orochi's path, let out a growl. This was a demon handed to her on a plate. She hadn't expected it to be this easy. Quickly she turned her head and whipped her sword from the sheath on her back, causing a satisfying metallic noise. Then she darted forward, ready to slice through Orochi's long neck.

Or at least, that was what she had intended.

The sword met it's target, and Kal expected it to cut straight through the dark scales. Yet it didn't even leave a mark on Orochi. As he speedily retreated back into the cave with his victim, the sword was wrenched from her jaws. With a flick of his head, Orochi swatted her away like an insect, sending her flying. She was slammed against one of the off-shore rocks before dropping down into the murky water with a large splash.

Immediately all sound was blocked out, and all Kal could hear was the fuzzy noise of the water. She fought the urge to breath in - all the breath had been knocked out of her when she hit the rocks - and kept her eyes closed. She'd seen how filthy the water around the caves were.

Thrashing around in the water, she finally managed to bring her head up to the surface and broke through, gasping for air. The foul stench of the water nearly choked her. Blinking to make sure none of the water got into her eyes, she struck out for the small beach nearby.

By the time she dragged herself onto land, there was no noise from the direction of the cave; everyone had vanished. Good. Her fur was covered in so much of the slimy water she looked like a walking pile of sludge. Grimacing, she tried to shake it off. Luckily most of the slime splattered onto the sand, and she was left with just a few patches of it left clinging to her fur. She'd go wash it off back in the lake at Shinshu. There was no way she was going to lick it off. Even the thought of doing so made her gag.

Letting out a sigh, Kal headed for the path. As she glanced at the Moon Cave again she saw that the barrier had returned. There was no way she could get inside now.

"Amaterasu can keep the stupid monster," Kal growled quietly to herself, fuming about how easily Orochi had defeated her. _Just bad luck._

Turning, she padded back along the path leading back to the plains, limping slightly. Her shoulder ached, most likely bruised from the impact with the rocks. She tried to ignore it. Usually she recovered quickly from injuries, so this wouldn't be any different.

* * *

Clouds still hung gloomily overhead when Kal passed through the large gate that marked the hidden entrance to the Moon Cave. Her shoulder felt better already, but her fur was slicked uncomfortably against her skin. As she reached the top of the slope, she glanced back to see the familiar sight of the path drawing to a halt partway into the lake, the Moon Cave no longer visible.

When she looked forward again she took a step back in surprise to see Waka standing in front of her. So he wasn't in the caves after all. To be honest, she wasn't really surprised.

"What did you think you were doing?" he snapped.

Kal was taken aback. She glanced up at him, expecting to see the light-hearted and teasing expression he always had, but his face was serious, his eyes cold - with another emotion she couldn't read.

"You know Orochi is one of the most powerful demons in this world!" he exclaimed. "How could you expect even to slightly damage him? Whether you can fight or not, there is _nothing_ a dog can do against evil that strong!"

Almost unconsciously Kal could feel herself pressing against the ground and backing away - maybe in fear. Waka was never angry. Not at anything, not at anyone. She'd never seen him so furious, and that was what send a chill down her spine.

_What did I do?_

Suddenly, as if he'd only just noticed her fright and confusion, Waka's expression cleared. He paused, then looked away, his voice calmer now. "Well, at least you won't make the same mistake in the future."

Kal hesitated. Then she slowly stood up and took a cautious step forwards, letting out a quiet whimper.

"Hm?" Waka glanced around, almost as if he'd forgotten she were there. He smiled, all traces of anger gone and more like his old self again. "Well, Amaterasu is off fighting demons with the little bug, and the village is still trying to prepare for the festival tonight. Why don't you go have a look around and make sure they're okay?"

Her ears pricking up, Kal nodded. It was good to finally have a job to do rather than just following around everyone else.

"Although," he added, "you might want to go and wash that dirty water off first. No offence, ma chérie, but you smell worse than a wet dog."

* * *

Kal raced along the tree-lined path leading into Kamiki Village, wings out, hoping they would dry out faster if she ran - kind of like a moving washing line. She couldn't fly when they were soaked with water. The clouds that had been in the sky were only in the distance over the cave, and now she was closer to the village she could see the full moon hanging lazily in the sky. It certainly looked like good weather for a festival.

Thankfully by the time she passed the village's merchant stand her fur was more or less dry, and she had no traces left of the horrible slimy water that surrounded the Moon Cave. She took a moment to smooth her fur down - after all, she didn't want to show up looking like she'd just been dragged through a hedge - and carried on along the slowly sloping path leading down into the village.

Her first thoughts were that Kamiki seemed like quite a quaint little place; it wasn't that big since there were only a few houses, but there were plenty of cherry blossom trees, and a river that flowed from a waterfall at one side, shining in the moonlight.

Looking around for the villagers, she noticed a rather chubby woman standing in what looked like a crop field full of leafy plants. She had a clay pot balanced on her head, and a few drops of water splashed out when she turned to see Kal padding towards her.

"My goodness, what on earth is that? A dog with wings?" she gasped. "It doesn't matter what you are, demon, you'll never get any of my turnips!"

Kal jumped back as the lady swung her fist at her, only just missing her head. She backed away as the woman tried to hit her once more.

"Geez, lady, what is wrong with you!" Kal cried in disbelief, turning and racing away.

She didn't stop until she reached a stone path leading around one of the cliffs and glanced back. The woman wasn't chasing her any more, but she was still watching her through narrowed eyes.

"Psh, like I'd really want to dig up turnips," she muttered.

"You know, it's actually quite fun. Y'know, if you can avoid getting flattened."

Kal turned with a start to see a kai dog sat behind her. He had a scarf with an orb attached around his neck, so he was most likely another of the canine warriors. _These guys are everywhere you turn. _

"Well, whatever makes you happy, I guess," she shrugged half-heartedly.

"I've never seen you around here before. You here for the festival?"

"Well… kind of. I was told to look around and make sure the villagers are okay. You know, with this whole Orochi thing."

The dog's eyes narrowed. "So, you're not a demon then? I heard Mama call you one, is all. And well… I've never seen a dog with wings before."

Kal shook her head. "Despite what everyone seems to think, I'm not a demon. Just a Tsubasa Inu. Rare breed, I guess it was bound to happen that hardly anyone has heard of us."

"I see," the kai's expression lifted. "Well, in that case, welcome to Kamiki. I'm Hayabusa, self-assigned protector of the village and holder of the turnip-digging record! Well… I was… but I still hold the record out of everyone in the village!"

"Okay?" Kal raised an eyebrow. "The name's Kal. I guess you could say I'm a canine samurai."

"You kinda remind me of that wolf, Amaterasu," Hayabusa commented. "She used some strange weapon to fight. Pretty good too."

_Please don't start_, Kal winced. She didn't want to hear any more about the goddess, knowing she was off fighting the demon that had bested her easier than swatting a fly. "Anyway, I was going to look around the village and check on the villagers, but judging from the reaction I just got that probably isn't a good idea. What's up this way?"

Hayabusa glanced at the path she was looking at. "Oh, that leads to the sacred deck and the Konohana tree. They're both pretty nice places. Want me to show you the way?"

"Don't worry, I doubt I'll get lost," Kal shrugged. She trotted past him, heading along the tree-lined path. "See ya. And…" she cast another glance at the woman standing in the crop field, who thankfully wasn't eyeing her suspiciously anymore. "Good luck with the turnips?"

* * *

When she reached a fork in the path, she decided to turn left, and headed up the slope which lead to a gate and a large tree. Cherry blossom flowers spouted from the branches and it seemed to have clouds circling around it. No wonder it was a sacred tree to the village.

Kal padded over to the large rocks at the edge of the cliff and jumped up onto one of the flatter ones, flopping down onto it. There was a nice view from here; she could see the whole of the village as well as the lake that surrounded it. She assumed the villagers were getting ready for the festival. She didn't feel like trying to help out. What with Waka's unexpected anger at her for reasons she didn't know, and the woman in the village's reaction to her, she wasn't really in the mood.

Her ears twitched as she heard an unusual sound behind her. Only mildly surprised after all the unusual goings on so far that day, Kal glanced around.

Behind her was a woman who appeared to be floating in the air, yet she was too clear to be a spirit. She had black hair that was separated into two long strands at the fringe, and her clothes were little more than a bikini.

"My, it has been a while since I saw one of your kind," she remarked, a knowledgeable look in her eyes.

Kal blinked. "My kind? Never mind my kind, what… or who… or just… what are _you_?"

"I see you are not familiar with wood sprites," she noted. "Of which I am one. My name is Sakuya. Might I ask yours?"

"Kal," the dog replied simply. "When you say 'my kind', does that mean… you know what I am?"

"A Tsubasa Inu, yes," Sakuya nodded. "It's such a shame they appear to have been forgotten by most of this world."

_You don't say,_ Kal thought to herself, letting out a sigh.

"I can sense that you are troubled, young Tsubasa. Is there something wrong?"

Kal thought for a moment, turning to glance back over towards the village again. "Nothing I can't handle."

Sakuya followed her glance. "I saw that woman's reaction to you just now. I take it you are upset that people assume you are a demon?"

Kal rolled her eyes. "If you can read peoples minds then why did you bother asking what was wrong?"

"My, there's no need to be rude."

"Sorry," Kal muttered. "It's just… everyone assumes I'm a demon. What if I am one?"

"Don't worry, you are not," Sakuya reassured her. "Though you may not have the most pleasant of attitude, your soul is not that of a demon. There are just very few of your breed left, and many do not know of them."

"Okay," Kal nodded, slightly happier now she knew this. "Thanks."

"I know there is something else that bothers you, but I shall not pry," Sakuya continued evenly.

_Good._ Kal didn't feel like talking about it anyway. It was probably nothing.

But she knew there had to be some reason for Waka's reaction. Sure, he'd scolded her in the past when she got into trouble, but he never shouted at anyone. Whatever the reason was, she decided she might as well just forget about it. She couldn't ask him even if she'd wanted to, so the chances were she'd probably never find out.

* * *

As the night wore on, Kal watched the village from the cliffs near the waterfall. The sound of the water was somewhat calming and there were no tree-people up here. As nice as it was to have met someone who could actually understand what she was saying, it was weird at the same time. And annoying that the tree sprite could sense her feelings. Kal wasn't one for talking about her emotions. Usually there was no one to talk _to_.

The villagers were half-heartedly putting up decorations, and a few of the visitors were arriving for the festival. She spotted Kokari and Ume heading along the path, but with so many people around, Kal decided not to fly down to greet them. This place wasn't like Sei'an, where everyone was so used to her - and visitors quickly heard about the flying dog in the city. No one reacted beyond the occasional surprised look there. This whole 'demon' thing was different as well.

Amidst all the new goings-on, the one thing Kal noticed more than anything was a familiar sound from somewhere behind her. This time she wasn't sure if it made her feel relieved or uncertain. More emotions. Bah.

"Not enjoying the festival, ma chérie?"

Now starting to get used to him suddenly appearing after all the times he had already that day, Kal didn't reply. Did Waka know about the villager's reaction to her? Maybe he was just trying to wind her up.

"I guess not then," he muttered, walking over to the rocks and watching the waterfall for a moment. "Still, I suppose it isn't much of a festival yet. Once they hear that Orochi is dead, I'm sure things will pick up."

Kal glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow. So the great beast had been slain? By a red and white wolf?

Waka noticed her expression. "Surely you must have known that the great goddess Amaterasu would defeat the demon? Oh ye of little faith," he teased.

Letting out a faint growl, Kal turned back to look down at the village.

"Ne soyez pas jaloux, Kal," he continued, sounding a little disheartened by his dog's lack of enthusiasm. "You're hardly the first to have tried their luck at beating that monster. Most didn't even get away with their lives."

There was a long silence, broken only by the sound of voices and the river down in the village. Kal watched the water for a moment, somewhat lost in thought. _Was_ she jealous? Maybe that was why she got irritated whenever anyone mentioned how amazing Amaterasu was, or how well she fought. As she glanced back at Waka once more, he was staring off into the distance, his face expressionless.

A moment later he blinked and looked over at her. "Ah, I almost forgot. Message from Himiko. She wants us to return to the capital. Shame we can't stay for the festival."

"Great, even more travelling," Kal sighed, though secretly she was glad to head back to the city again.

"I would just go on ahead, but the eastern side of Nippon has some nice views, especially at night." His voice had an edge of challenge to it. "And I've been meaning to check on the coast since that curse spread. Why don't we make a race of it?"

Kal blinked. He hadn't challenged her to a race in ages. Mainly because she was faster than him, since she could fly by herself rather than having to use the wind. Perhaps he was trying to get rid of her sulky attitude. Then again, she couldn't just mope about forever.

_Why not._ Kal got to her paws and gave a half-hearted bark.

"Trés bien!" Waka smiled. "See you back at the ship!"

A sudden breeze ruffled Kal's fur, lifting a cloud of cherry blossom leaves into the air from the trees below. Waka opened out the wings on his hat and used the gust of wind to glide over the top of the cliffs and out of sight.

Deciding to give him a head start, Kal glanced back at the village once more. The first of the fireworks shot up into the night sky, exploding into colour, the glistening pieces fluttering back down to earth and vanishing amidst the stars. More of the colourful rockets followed, filling the sky with light. There were some cheers in the distance from the villagers. Looked like the festival was finally getting underway.

Still, no time to stay and watch the fireworks. Needed to get back to the city - and home. Plus if she waited any longer before following after Waka, he might cheat and teleport back. Pausing for one more moment to watch a last few of the colourful explosions, Kal spread her wings and took off into the moonlit sky.

* * *

There was a great view of the coast from the cliffs at Ryoshima. From the place where the guardian tree stood, you could see the whole area.

Just a shame that most of it was covered by the ugly cursed zone.

Kal let out a long sigh. It was the day after the festival - or at least, she assumed it was. There was no sunlight here because of the curse. She used to come up to this place quite a lot for the view and to have some of the water from the ponds, since the sea was too salty to drink from. But now the ground was bone-dry, and the large cherry blossom that usually protected the area had been reduced to nothing more than a withered sapling. Only a small section of the paths leading to the coast and the cliffs around the sapling remained free of the darkness.

Her ears twitched as she heard a voice from somewhere near the paths from the city checkpoint. A voice she recognised in an instant.

"Hey! What the heck's going on? Orochi's stupid cursed zone spread all the way out here?"

"Issun," Kal muttered, knowing she was too far away to be heard. "Well done, genius. Not like a massive cursed zone is obvious or anything." She rolled her eyes. Then realised something. If Issun was around here, Amaterasu would be too. After all, he seemed to spend all his time standing - or jumping - on her head. _Think they're so good just because they can defeat an overgrown snake,_ Kal thought bitterly. _And because she beat Ume and that other dog Hayabusa in a fight._ She didn't see what could be so special about a wolf. Perhaps it was about time she found out.

Kal glided over to where she could see the paths more clearly, and where the goddess actually was. She was running along the trail, grass and flowers sprouting behind her as she ran and disappearing a few seconds later.

Neither of them had noticed her yet. Flying slightly ahead, Kal soared towards the ground, spinning around and folding her wings beside her a few seconds before she reached it, landing in front of the wolf and bug with expert balance and causing a slight cloud of dust to rise from the earth. Amaterasu skidded to a halt so quickly that Issun was nearly flung off her head.

"Whoa! Hey!" he cried, regaining his balance. "Sheesh, do you guys make a habit out of appearing from nowhere or something?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kal said mockingly. "I just thought I'd, you know… drop in."

"Yeah, ha-ha, very funny," Issun tutted. "Why the heck are you following us around, ya creepy mutt?"

"Following you? Don't be stupid, insect. I live here."

Issun, ignoring her 'insect' jibe, looked around, taking especial notice at the evil curse spread across most of the land. "Wow. Nice place you've got here," he said sarcastically.

Kal rolled her eyes. "In the city, obviously."

"I didn't think the city would be the sort of place where there'd be any dog-flies."

"I wouldn't think someone who sits around on a wolf all day would know anything _about_ the city."

"What's the matter, dogfly?" Issun scorned. "Why don't you go fly on back to your half-baked prophet and find someone else to follow around."

Kal didn't reply - Issun was starting to annoy her now, but she wasn't going to let him get the best of her. Instead she turned her attention to Amaterasu, who had stood silently watching the conversation, her ears or tail twitching whenever Issun made a particularly snide comment.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Kal muttered to the wolf. "Cat got your tongue? Or do you just like letting a bug do all the talking for you?"

"Hey, you leave Ammy outta this!" Issun snapped.

"Why? Is the goddess unable to defend herself?"

Amaterasu let out a growl and crouched into an attack stance, poised and ready to strike, though she looked like she was just trying to show that she didn't think Kal was any match for her. She wasn't going to attack - yet.

"Yeah, that's right, Ammy!" Issun cheered. "Let's teach the dogfly a lesson!"

Kal narrowed her eyes. "Fine. If it's a fight you want…" she leapt into the air, spreading her wings and hovering above the ground. Then she quickly reached back and whipped the sword from her sheath, tossing it into the air and catching the handle skilfully in her jaws so that the metal glinted in the dusky light. "Then it's a fight you'll get."


	6. Power of a Goddess

**Kal v Ammy. You can tell how that will end xD**

**On another note, Raiden needs more love. Poor little lightning-spirit-dude.**

* * *

For a moment neither of them moved, and the only sound was the draft from Kal's wings. Amaterasu had her narrowed eyes fixed on the flying dog that hovered a few metres off the ground. She was waiting to see what she would do.

_Alright then,_ Kal thought to herself. Whatever move she made the wolf would probably see it coming, especially since she was so far away. For a brief moment Kal wondered whether this might be more difficult than she'd thought, but she'd managed to beat Ume in numerous fights before, and that was without using a weapon. Besting a wolf in battle would be a cinch.

Abruptly she shot forwards, diving towards the ground where Amaterasu was standing; she jumped easily out of the way. Yet Kal knew where she was going to land and, quickly regaining her balance, jumped forwards. She felt a brief flash of satisfaction as she felt the blade of the sword meet flesh, and the wolf yelped as the sword sliced through her shoulder.

Quickly Kal hopped backwards and floated back into the air again, out of reach, and wiped the blood from her sword with one paw. She glanced at Amaterasu; she didn't seem to be that bothered by the wound, and even though it looked deep it had already stopped bleeding. The goddess let out a growl and flicked her tail.

_Tougher than she looks, huh._

All of a sudden, even though the coast seemed almost lifeless due to the curse, there was a massive gust of wind. It was so fierce and unexpected that Kal couldn't fly against it; the gust caught her wings and she was dragged back down to the ground, crash-landing on the path.

She regained her composure quickly, but not fast enough. She was knocked backwards as the heavy sword that had hovered over Amaterasu's back swung around and slashed across her side. It was almost as if it had some kind of… power in it. The wolf could use the sword without having to carry it in her mouth. No wonder everyone seemed to think she was so good at fighting.

So what if she had some fancy ways of sword fighting. Kal wasn't going to let her win.

As Amaterasu lashed out again Kal dodged out of the way, picking up her own sword which she'd dropped when she'd hit the ground. She swung it towards the wolf, frustration making her try and hit harder this time, but a blue mirror appeared from nowhere, acting as a shield, and her own energy behind the attack threw her backwards as she was repelled off. Her sword clattered to the ground a few feet away.

Kal stood for a moment, trying to get her breath back, a growl rising in her throat. She tried to turn and pick up her sword, but as soon as she moved, she saw out of the corner of her eye Amaterasu flick her tail sideways, black ink splashing onto the sand. Kal didn't get a moment to think about why the wolf had ink in her tail as suddenly it felt like something sliced through her and a long gash opened up along her side. She jumped back, letting out a muffled yelp.

_How… what… stupid wolf! _Kal let out a loud snarl, the last of any calmness she had dropping, and lunged forward, teeth bared. Amaterasu simply flicked her tail around in a circle.

And then a cherry bomb appeared in front of her.

"What the-" Kal was cut off as the large orange sphere exploded, and she was blasted backwards, landing heavily on the ground. All the breath was knocked out of her and for a second she couldn't move, though Amaterasu didn't make any move to attack. Instead she took a step backwards, watching calmly. She knew that Kal was defeated.

And, the wounded dog had to admit, she knew she was too.

Kal scrambled unsteadily to her paws, breathing heavily. She could feel blood dripping down her side and onto the path, and the wounds she had, the one along her side especially, stung like fury. She raised her head, trying to pretend it didn't bother her.

"I can see why everyone thinks so much of you," she forced the compliment. She didn't know what was more painful, the wounds she'd got or the fact that she'd been beaten by a wolf.

Issun, somehow still hopping around on Amaterasu's head, obviously noticed the guarded bitterness in her voice. "Don't feel too bad, dogfly. I mean, as if you'd be any match for a god! C'mon, Ammy, let's leave the mutt to lick her wounds and go fix up that guardian sapling."

Amaterasu gave an agreeing grumble and padded off along the path towards the tree. As she cast a glance back, her eyes met Kal's. It wasn't a look of hatred, like she'd expect someone to look at someone who'd just attacked them. It looked more like she was just checking to see if she was okay…

Kal gave herself an brisk shake, wincing as some more blood splashed onto the floor. The goddess knew she was more powerful than Kal, and the fight had probably been easy from her point of view. Even the scar Kal had managed to give her looked like it was already half-healed. Perhaps Issun was right. A Tsubasa was no match for a god.

* * *

The shock on Kamo's face was almost immeasurable when Kal landed slightly unevenly on the platform outside the Tao Troop ship.

"Kal! What happened?" he gasped, glancing at the rather nasty-looking scars that ran across her side. They'd stopped bleeding before she left the coast, but the worst of them had been re-opened slightly from flying over here.

Kal paused to give the wound a quick lick so she didn't drip blood anywhere, then pushed her way through the door. "Leave me alone," she muttered.

Waka was sat behind his desk watching the hologram screen, and didn't seem to notice her arrive. Much to her disappointment, however, Abe did.

He was stood at his usual post near the door, and as soon as he noticed her he gasped, then glanced across the room. "Captain!"

"Hm?" Waka glanced over the screen. "Mon dieu! Kal, what on earth have you got yourself into now?"

Deciding not to bother giving any non-understandable replies, Kal simply climbed onto the platform in the corner of the room, flopping down onto the pillow which was her bed, and lay watching the scrolling images projected onto the screen on the wall. Not that she could understand any of the strange writing.

"Poor thing," Abe said sympathetically, walking somewhat awkwardly over and reaching out a hand to stroke her head.

Kal issued a quiet growl and moved away.

"Leave her alone, Abe," Waka called, looking at the screen once more.

"B-but…" the novice Tao Trooper looked nervous to be disagreeing with his captain. "She's bleeding…"

"Oui, and if you're not careful she might not be the only one," Waka continued quietly so that Abe didn't hear him. He raised his voice. "I'm sure she'll live."

Abe stepped back, looking uncertainly at his captain and then back at Kal again.

She let out a sigh. Obviously the fact that she healed relatively quickly was another thing Abe hadn't quite got to grips with. If a few wounds was going to make him freak out she'd leave him to it.

Ignoring the fact that the scars stung, Kal dropped back down to the ground and headed back out the door. Kamo was still standing guard outside, as always, but fortunately he didn't say anything - he knew her well enough to know simply from the way she was walking that she wanted to be left alone.

She sat near the edge of the platform and rested her head on the railings, where she could watch the city below. Even though she knew the coast was now free of the curse thanks to Amaterasu reviving the guardian sapling, the murky green fog still hovered around the city, and it was hard to make out anything other than the tops of buildings and a few moving shapes below the mist.

_Stop sulking_, she told herself. It didn't matter that she hadn't won that fight. The goddess had powers that no dog - normal or not - would be able to stand up to.

Her ears twitched as she heard footsteps behind her, and she lifted her head and looked around, half expecting to see Kamo, though in fact it was Waka walking towards her.

"Trying to fight Amaterasu, huh?" he raised an eyebrow.

Kal blinked. How did he know?

"Don't look so surprised, ma chérie, there's no weapon around here that could have given you that wound," he glanced pointedly at the largest scar that ran across her side. "I must say, attempting to battle a goddess is a pretty naïve thing to do, unless you know what you're in for."

For a moment Kal couldn't work out what he meant; then she remembered the blood-splattered clearing in the cave at Taka Pass. Somehow, knowing that Waka hadn't been able to defeat the wolf either - twice - made her feel better. After all, he was one of the best fighters she knew.

"Anyway, I suppose you've stopped sulking for the moment, so I'd best be on my way. Business in the city."

Kal cast an uneasy glance down at the ominous clouds of fog below.

Waka noticed her expression. "Don't worry, it won't effect me. Au revoir!"

And with that, he vanished.

After he'd left, Kal thought for a moment. Amaterasu was a tough opponent, and she'd given Kal a few scars that might last for quite a while. Yet yesterday at the Moon Cave, Orochi had simply swatted her aside and hadn't even hurt her other than a slightly bruised shoulder - and her pride. So why had Waka been so angry at her then?

Sometimes she seriously didn't understand him.

* * *

Kal was woken by a loud roar - not like Orochi, but still sounding like it came from something vary big. She woke so suddenly she fell out of the tree where she'd been sleeping and landed with a thud on the grass below. At least she'd managed to miss the water for once.

_And that's why you shouldn't sleep on a tree with oddly-shaped branches,_ she thought ruefully, rubbing her head with one paw and glancing up at the guardian sapling.

Then she remembered what had woken her up in the first place.

She hurried over to the edge of the cliff and looked out across the shore. A little while out in the sea, there was what looked like a massive eel. She'd never seen anything like it before, though the monstrous creature made her think of something she'd heard a few people in the city mentioning recently - the "Water Dragon"?

Whatever it was, it appeared to be chasing something. From here, Kal couldn't see what - or who - it was, and she flew closer to investigate. Now that she could see more clearly, she could see it was _Rao_.

The priestess was somehow gracefully hopping along the water's surface; when she reached the cliffs she jumped to safety, and the water dragon crashed into the rocks. Then it turned to look at something behind it; Amaterasu was out in the water as well.

_Sheesh, why's everyone out at sea today?_

Rao was standing at the edge of the cliffs, watching the water dragon. Kal heard her mutter something quietly.

"Goodbye, Amaterasu."

What was that supposed to mean? And since when could Rao walk on water? She'd seen her fight demons before, but never pull off a stunt like that. Wariness rising inside her, Kal let out a growl.

Immediately Rao gasped and glanced around; obviously she hadn't noticed that the dog was there. "Kal! I…" she cast a glanced back out at the sea, where the dragon was heading for Amaterasu - who looked quite a slow swimmer. "This is terrible! There was nothing I could do…"

Kal pushed her suspiciousness aside for now. Amaterasu was jumping across the water on what looked to be like giant lily pads, but the large creature was approaching fast.

"Geez, do I have to do everything around here?" she tutted, only half serious. Here was the chance to actually help someone for once. She spread her wings and took off into the air, soaring towards the water dragon.

She swooped down, waiting until it's tail was above the water, and momentarily landed on it. "Hey, eel-breath!"

The dragon stopped chasing after Amaterasu and turned to look at her. It flicked it's tail to try and throw her off, but Kal had already jumped back into the air. As it lunged towards her she dived out of the way of it's teeth, it's jaws clamping shut only a few feet away, and she flew up to land on it's head, looking down into a massive eye.

"Too slow, bro," she jibed, jumping and hitting the water dragon in the head before lifting off into the air again. The creature let out an ear-splitting roar.

Kal paused to glance over at the island just a little way off the shore where the dojo was - Amaterasu was standing on the safety of the land, watching. What she was thinking, Kal couldn't tell. Then she heard Issun's high-pitched voice.

"Hey, dogfly!" he shouted above the noise of the sea. "You might wanna duck!"

"Huh?" Kal glanced around. Too late.

The water dragon swung it's tail around and it smashed into her. Kal was thrown across the water and landed with a large splash.

_Not again!_

She surfaced quickly, taking a big gulp of air. The water dragon was heading for her now, the water around it swelling as it cut through the sea.

"Oh boy," she muttered. She'd never manage to swim away fast enough and there was no way of getting out of the water. She was stuck.

Suddenly she was lifted into the air. A giant lily pad had appeared on the water beneath her.

Amaterasu gave a loud bark from the island and Kal glanced over. The wolf flicked her tail in a circle and another lily pad appeared nearby.

_Is she expecting me to use the lily pads to get to land like she did?_ Kal wondered, slightly embarrassed that the wolf had needed to save her. Then she glanced around to see the water dragon only a few metres away. _Okay, point taken._

She jumped just as the dragon reached the first lily pad, dragging it under the water, and landed on the second one. More lily pads appeared, creating a path to the dojo island. Not pausing to look back, Kal jumped across them before giving one final leap up onto the grass, moving away from the edge. As she stood getting her breath back, she glanced back out over the water to see the water dragon stop since they were all out of reach, and vanish below the waves.

"That was too close," she panted.

Amaterasu twitched her ears and let out a quiet grumble.

"Well, I guess I should thank you," Kal muttered, figuring that was what the goddess looked so smug about.

"Too right. If it wasn't for us you'd be that thing's lunch!" Issun agreed.

"What were you doing out in the sea anyways?"

"That's none of your business!" Issun snapped. "And that busty babe just ran off and left us there. Plain rude, I say." He glanced at Kal. "Is everyone in the city like that or something?"

"Oh, only to little pests, I'm sure," Kal narrowed her eyes.

Issun was stopped from replying as from nowhere a hammer appeared. Strangely it was _moving_.

"Whoa! Hey! Where's that mallet running off to? After it, Ammy!"

As the wolf and minute traveller raced off after the jumping hammer, Kal was left wondering what the heck just happened.

* * *

The city dwellers were overjoyed when the mist that hovered over the city miraculously vanished. Kal knew that Amaterasu must have had something to do with it. She had been meaning to look around the city to make sure all the villagers were okay, but for the best part of the day the goddess had been around the city helping them, so she'd stayed away. It was only after the sun dipped below the horizon that Amaterasu headed out of the city and in the direction of eastern Nippon.

Kal padded around the city in the twilight, though most people were at home, asleep. Dandy was still wandering around, and he paused to ruffle her ears as she passed.

"Kal, if you find my glass watch, could you bring it to me? I seem to have misplaced it…"

She nodded and carried on along the path, looking for anyone who might be about. But other than the guards the streets were silent, and eventually Kal gave up and flopped down beside the river, under the shelter of the willow trees. The red sky reflected off the water, but she didn't really notice. Ever since Amaterasu had appeared, she'd felt so… out of place. She'd always thought it as her job to protect the people of Sei'an and help them when needed, but it seemed like the goddess was doing that now. And when the fog had been here, Kal hadn't been able to help anyone at all. Not to mention she couldn't work out what was wrong with Rao or why she was suddenly acting differently.

"Hey, dog, why so down in the dumps?" the sparked voice came from behind her.

Kal let out a sigh. "Leave me alone, Raiden."

"Wow, I guess someone got out the wrong side of bed this morning."

Not even bothering to mention that technically her bed didn't _have _sides, Kal turned to look at the spirit. She'd known Raiden for a long time, but just a few months ago he'd been killed when he took shelter under the trees during a storm and hit by a bolt of lightning. Now he appeared as a spirit under the trees each night, electricity still sparking from him even though it had been ages since he died.

"Besides, there's hardly anyone else to talk to, being as the fact that no one other than you can see me and all. Gets very lonely being a ghost, you know."

"Well, what did you want?" Kal asked.

"Hmm, I can't remember," Raiden said good-humouredly. "Hey, is it just me or have the trees here seemed a little bare recently?" He leant against one of the trunks and sparks of electricity shot up it, singing the leaves and causing a dozen of them to flutter down to the ground.

"I wonder why," Kal muttered, flicking a leaf from her head.

"So, what's the matter, then?"

"The matter? I… well… just… look, there's nothing the matter! Why must everyone keep asking me if I'm okay nowadays?"

Raiden shrugged. "I haven't seen anyone, I wouldn't know. Perhaps it's because you look so depressed."

Kal let out a snort and said nothing.

"I know you've always been a bit temperamental, but I don't think you ever used to be so… well, driven to sitting around staring at water."

Realising she was staring down at the river again, Kal glanced up. She forced a smile. "Well, don't worry 'bout it. I'm fine. See? Fine."

"If you say so," Raiden leant against the tree once more, causing another bunch of leaves to rain down. "Well, if you're ever out and about in the middle of the night and fancy a chat, it's not like I have a busy schedule, y'know?"

"Sure," Kal replied half-heartedly. She needed to stop getting so irritated by Amaterasu. The goddess was here to help the people of Nippon, after all. She'd have to try and see the better side of things. How hard could it be?


	7. Fox Hunting

**I love Ninetails. I love Abe and Kamo. I don't love Hayazo so much...**

**Also I'm making up titles for these chapters as I go along since because of the prologue they're all numbered wrong xD**

**Hence why the chapter titles are really cheesy and blah.**

**Also in my eyes Ninetails is a guy. Hence he calls himself the lord of Ryoshima Coast and has a deep voice. And in the Artbook it calls him he.**

**Though then again since in Japanese it's easy to make characters gender ambiguous *coughCronacough* maybe he has no gender.**

* * *

One of the first things Kal noticed when she arrived back at the Tao Troop ship the next afternoon was that Kamo wasn't in his usual post outside, although the trident he usually had was leant against the wall. She shrugged and headed for the door, hearing voices inside before she got there.

"Don't worry, Abe, I'm sure it'll turn up eventually."

"_Eventually_? B-but if the captain finds out I lost it, he-"

"Look, Captain Waka _won't_ skin you! He'd be disappointed with you, sure, but nothing that dramatic."

Wondering what was going on, Kal pushed her way through the door. Kamo and Abe were stood nearby, and the younger Tao Trooper looked worried about something - and Kal noticed he wasn't wearing his Tao mask.

"Aaah! The captain!" Abe gasped as the door opened, so surprised he lost his balance and fell over backwards.

"It's not the captain, it's just Kal," Kamo sighed. He glanced over at the dog, who had her head tipped slightly to one side as if demanding an explanation to what was going on. "Abe's lost his mask," he explained. "We've looked all over the ship and can't find it."

"If I can't find it before the captain gets back, he'll skin me alive!" Abe fretted, trembling slightly.

"Oh come on!" Kamo groaned in exasperation, leaning back against one of the faintly glowing pillars. "I've tried telling him the captain won't mind, but he doesn't listen."

"But what am I supposed to do?" Abe cried, getting unsteadily back onto his feet again.

"Have a look around the city or something. It has to be _somewhere_. Just don't take too long or the captain will find you missing, and then you _will_ be in trouble."

"OK!" Abe nodded, racing away out the door.

After he had gone, Kal gave Kamo a questioning look. "Skin him alive?"

"Yeah, okay, this might be _slightly _my fault…" Kamo admitted. "Not the mask, but I may have said to Abe once that if he lost it then the captain would skin him… I wasn't being serious, of course," he added. "I didn't expect him to actually believe it."

_He's just a novice, _Kal thought evenly. She hadn't thought Abe could be so gullible.

"I don't suppose you could help him look for it? Maybe you could sniff it out."

Kal grimaced.

"I know you're hardly Abe's biggest fan, but I have to return to my post. If the captain comes back and finds both of us missing he won't be happy."

For a moment Kal was going to refuse. Then she realised that, if she was ever going to get over the feeling of being replaced, she might as well try and help some people out. And besides, she did have a good sense of smell. After a long hesitation, she nodded.

"Thanks," Kamo smiled, reaching down to ruffle her ears. "Just don't bite him or anything, okay?"

* * *

Kal spent most of the afternoon trying to help Abe look around the city for his mask with no luck. After a few hours the Tao Trooper had hurried back to his post to avoid getting into any extra trouble, and she reflected that he wasn't actually all that bad when he wasn't treating her like a dumb dog. He'd probably work out what she was actually like one day. Just hopefully not a day too far away, or else she might lose her mind.

It wasn't until the sunlight faded that she unexpectedly caught scent of something that vaguely resembled Abe. _Mask?_

She glanced around, trying to pinpoint the scent, but she couldn't work out where it was coming from. Absently she heard footsteps heading towards her, and by the time she realised it was someone running past she had to quickly jump out of the way.

"Hey!" she barked, glancing around. Then blinked in surprise. Racing now in the opposite direction was what looked like two copies of the same person.

_Am I seeing double now?_ Kal wondered, shaking her head. As the mirror men turned a corner she saw something glint in the moonlight. _Glass? Maybe that's Dandy's watch._ She'd heard of a thief in the city who always seemed to strike only at night, and none of the guards had been able to catch him, though she'd never seen him. Probably because she wasn't in the city at night that often, and since she was a dog she wouldn't have been one of his victims since she had nothing worth stealing.

Yet the scent she'd picked up before now was fading too. Had this guy _stolen _Abe's mask?

Wondering why someone would even bother stealing a mask in the first place, Kal raced away after the thief.

The two men were identical in shape, though one was red and one was blue. By the time Kal had got them back in her sight they were a long way off, and pulling away further.

_Geez, these guys are fast. _She wasn't a fast runner either. _Never going to catch up this way._

Spreading her wings, Kal took off into the air, able to move much faster now. She glanced at the twin thieves, trying to decide which one to take out first, and finally settled on the blue one. As they headed over the bridge, she dived down towards the blue man, preparing to tackle him.

To her surprise, she went right _through_ him.

As soon as she hit the strange clone she got drenched with water and crashed to the ground.

"What the heck?" she growled, getting back to her paws again and watching as the guys disappeared around a corner. A voice echoed from where they had disappeared.

"Nobody can beat Hayazo, master of thieves!"

* * *

Still wondering what had happened by the next morning, Kal had taken to patrolling around the coast to make sure everything was okay there. It seemed most of the people in the city were okay at the moment, other than those who were complaining of missing items - probably thanks to that thief Hayazo, and she had no idea how to stop him. Why did everything have to be so complicated nowadays?

Ah well. Now that Amaterasu was here with her strange powers, she could probably do something about it.

After spending the morning flying around accompanied by the sound of the ocean, Kal finally gave up and headed for the cliffs where the guardian sapling stood. She landed on the grass and crouched down to lap at the cool, fresh water from the pool surrounding it. Much better than salty sea water. Blech.

"Kal."

The Tsubasa jumped as someone behind her spoke her name. She glanced up and turned around, licking stray drops of water from the fur on her muzzle.

"Rao?"

The priestess was standing on the grass nearby, even though Kal had never heard her arrive. Immediately she felt a suspicious growl rising in her throat. That did it. Something definitely wasn't right. The cliffs here were only accessible by air or along a bunch of paths in the caves below, she should have heard her footsteps. And she knew for a fact that Rao - the _real _Rao - couldn't teleport. She couldn't walk on water either. And to add to that list, she definitely _could_ _not _understand anything that Kal said.

"Okay, what's going on?" Kal snapped. "I know you can understand me, so you'd better start explaining, lady."

"Oh, aren't we the clever one then?" Rao smiled - not a friendly smile, but more of a smirk.

Kal's growl grew louder.

"A noisy thing, aren't you? Strange that this city's self-proclaimed protector is nothing more than a petty dog."

"Who are you?" Kal demanded, shifting into an attack position. "Whoever you are, you're definitely not the real Rao."

"It took you that long to work it out, mutt?" the woman's smirk grew larger. "I suppose the least I should do is tell you who will be the new ruler of Ryoshima. Ninetails, more often known as the demon lord."

_Demon lord? New ruler? _Kal took a moment to take this in. "Don't be stupid, we already have a ruler."

"Not for much longer." The Rao impersonator drew a strange object from their shirt, something that looked like a bunch of bamboo tubes. "As a matter of fact, I would have just walked on over to the palace and killed that little Himiko now, but I wanted to make sure my powers were working again now I have these Fox Rods back in my possession."

Kal narrowed her eyes. "So what, you got some pieces of bamboo. I won't let you harm Himiko or anyone in this city!"

"That is good," Ninetails smiled, his voice no longer sounding like Rao's, but dark and menacing. "If you'd run off like a little coward then you'd have ruined my fun."

_Stupid demon_, Kal thought to herself. She didn't run from a fight. Especially not against someone who was basically just a human. She reached back and grabbed the handle of her sword, drawing it from the sheath with a scrape of metal.

No sooner had she turned back to face the demon again than she had to jump back as a giant wall of ice appeared from nowhere, splintering and vanishing a moment later.

And that was when she realised what she was actually up against here.

It wasn't the impersonator of Rao stood in front of her anymore. It was a massive dark shadow that looked a bit like a fox, with glowing red eyes and nine tails arched over it's back. It towered over her, at least five times her height.

"Stupid dog," Ninetails sneered, swiping a massive nine-pronged sword towards her.

Kal jumped back to avoid the weapon and felt the ground underneath her paws start to crumble. Couldn't back away any farther. She dived to the side just as a massive fireball formed in the air above where she had been standing, sending sparks over the grass. After the fireball vanished the small flames which had formed on the ground took slightly longer to vanish. This demon was more powerful than the average imp, that was for sure.

She aimed to charge at Ninetails from the side, figuring he wouldn't have noticed her among all the inferno, but while she was still circling the cliff edges the massive demon suddenly landed in front of her, dealing a heavy blow across her shoulder that knocked her sideways.

Righting herself quickly, Kal tried to attack the demon lord, but every time she tried to hit him with her sword a barrier blocked her way. And every time, Ninetails would counter her attack, and since she wasn't able to defend herself quickly enough she kept feeling the demon's blade slicing through her shoulders or side. Blood sprayed over the grass, some even dropping into the water and staining it red.

As a giant bomb suddenly appeared in front of her, Kal jumped back just in time, aware of what was going to happen, and skidded to the edge of the cliffs once more. The bomb exploded, and for a moment the demon vanished in a massive cloud of dust. For a few seconds everything went quiet, and she had a chance to try and catch her breath.

_He has powers just like Amaterasu, _she realised. _I lived through that last fight. I have to defeat Ninetails or he'll kill Himiko!_

Her legs trembled beneath her, making her realise how little strength she had left, and her head drooped slightly. _But I lost the fight against Amaterasu, and she made sure I lived. Ninetails intends to kill me. If I stay here I'll die!_

Amidst the cloud of dust, she just saw a black shadow heading towards her, eyes glowing red.

_No time to think._

Just as Ninetails reached her she jumped backwards once more, diving off the edge of the cliff and spreading her wings, which luckily were still more or less intact. Enough that she could fly. _Just gotta get outta here and warn someone. Good thing Ninetails can't fly. Or at least, I hope he can't…_

She glanced back to see the demon still standing on the cliff. Good. He couldn't fly. Perhaps she was safe now.

Suddenly a ferocious gale came from nowhere, blowing Kal off course slightly, but she corrected herself and tried to fly against it. Must have been another of the demon's tricks.

_Just gotta get back to the city… need to warn someone… need to - gah!_

The wind Ninetails had summoned was carrying boulders along in it, even though it hadn't seemed strong enough. She managed to dodge out of the way of one of them as it skimmed past over her back, but there were dozens more, too many for her to avoid. A medium-sized rock hit her in the head, and now completely unable to control where she was going she crashed against the side of the cliffs.

The world was starting to spin. Kal tried to find vision and only saw the ground coming towards her…

Then everything went black.

Ninetails strode over to where the odd-looking dog lay limply on the path in a pool of her own blood, which was slowly seeping from the wounds he'd given her and staining the sand a dark red. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving.

"Too easy," he smiled to himself, shifting back into the appearance of the priestess. He hadn't expected the stupid dog to die so easily.

Ah well, no time to bask in the glory. Not that it had been much of a fight anyways.

Now that he had his powers back, killing that little Himiko would be a cinch.


	8. The Northern Lands

"Hey! Dogfly! Ammy, d'you think she's even still alive?"

Kal's senses were coming back to her slowly. She could hear a voice faintly, and for a moment she thought she was dead, but within seconds she realised that that high-pitched voice was all too familiar.

_Owww… _she groaned, forcing her eyes to open. The world was blurry and she couldn't see much except for a green light bouncing in front of her…

"Okay, good, you're still living," Issun said, sounding rather unsympathetic. "Sheesh, you sure get beaten up a lot, don't ya?"

Kal barely had the strength to answer him. Now her vision was starting to return she could see that she was lying in a pool of blood on one of the paths next to the beach, and she fought for memories to try and remember why.

Then it all came back to her.

"Rao…" she rasped, too tired to form full sentences but hoping either Issun or Amaterasu, who was standing nearby, would be able to pick up the warning. "Demon…"

"Right, we gotta get on to Ankoku temple!" Issun gasped as if he'd just remembered something. "Hurry, Ammy, we gotta save the busty babe from that demon!"

_What? _Kal tried to recover more energy to speak, but Issun was already hopping back onto the wolf's head. "Wait…"

But the wolf and poncle were already too far away to hear.

"Damn it," Kal growled quietly to herself. She had no idea what Issun had been talking about, but it sounded as if they thought they knew something… what, she didn't know. She could have warned them about Ninetails but they'd been in too much of a hurry to wait and listen to her.

Glancing around, she couldn't help but grimace; the sand around her was stained with more blood than she thought possible, and now that her senses were returning to her again she could feel the multiple wounds Ninetails had given her stinging, most of them still bleeding slightly, and the left side of her face was bruised from where the rock had hit her.

_I'll just hope no one finds me until I have enough strength to get outta here,_ she thought, somewhat ashamed. She hoped Waka wouldn't randomly appear nearby, although she hadn't seen him that much lately…

He probably wouldn't care anyway.

_Not that I really mind,_ she huffed, unsure whether that was what she really thought, or whether she was just trying to convince herself she did.

* * *

As soon as she had enough energy to move, Kal managed to drag herself over to the base of the cliffs and took shelter among the rocks, hoping no one would come looking for her. The trail of blood would be rather a giveaway… still, she just had to rest here for a while and then she could figure out what to do next. Remembering Abe's reaction last time she'd been wounded, returning to the Tao Troop ship didn't seem that appealing right now.

It wasn't until a while later that she heard running pawsteps not far away. She knew who that was.

Emerging from the rocks, Kal glanced around and saw Amaterasu racing along the path towards her. Ignoring the soreness of her own wounds, Kal walked slightly unevenly out onto the sand, heading them off.

Amaterasu slowed to a halt as she reached her, but she looked impatient, as if she wanted to keep moving.

"Not now, mutt, we're in a hurry!" Issun snapped.

"What's happened?" Kal asked. She had to know what they were so bothered about. Issun seemed less mocking than usual, and an uneasy thought wormed it's way into her head…

"We're on our way to Watcher's Cape," Issun told her impatiently. "And we have to get there before the sun goes down or Oni Island will vanish along with that demon lord guy and Himiko will have died for nothing!"

"Himiko… is dead…?" Kal gasped, the words freezing in her mouth.

Issun didn't reply.

Ninetails must have killed Himiko. _If only I could have stopped him, she might have lived. _Kal could feel her claws digging into the sand. She had to do something.

"You're on your way to defeat the demon lord," she said eventually. "I could help you."

"Well…" Issun muttered, sounding somewhere between uncomfortable and amused. "Erm… we appreciate the offer, but…"

Amaterasu gave a quiet bark and shook her head.

"But I have to do _something_!" Kal exclaimed. "Himiko must be avenged!"

"Oh come on, dogfly," Issun sighed. "I know you think you can just stride on over and defeat that fox wretch, but it ain't as simple as that. Let me and Ammy do it. Leave it to the experts, okay?"

Kal was about to reply, but she stopped. She knew what he was saying. He'd seen how easily Amaterasu had defeated her, and it wouldn't have taken much for him to work out that it was Ninetails who had nearly killed her either. Yet Issun didn't sound like he was mocking her. For once.

_I guess I should know when to retreat,_ she sighed inwardly. "Okay, fine. Just… just go on and defeat the stupid fox. Don't let me hold you up."

* * *

The waning moon shone a dim light onto the Ryoshima cliffs where Kal was sat. She'd flown up here as soon as she was able to, where she was away from everyone else.

_I'll just hope it rains soon and the blood gets washed away, _she thought good-humouredly in an attempt to cheer herself up. It wasn't working.

She could hear the last few sounds of the city from here as everyone went home for the night; everyone sounded happy again, most of their troubles over after the whole poisonous mist epidemic.

"And how did I help them then," she sighed, flicking a pebble across the grass with one paw.

Suddenly there was a sound in the distance; a loud groaning noise, as if something large was collapsing. As Kal glanced around in surprise, not really knowing what to expect, she saw the demon-like island in the distant sea. It had looked pretty stable when she'd seen it before, but now it looked like it was collapsing… and as she looked closer she saw it was disintegrating into… cherry blossom petals…?

She gave herself a brisk shake. She didn't know why she was even surprised anymore. Amaterasu must have defeated Ninetails. There didn't seem to be much other explanation for an evil island turning into flowers.

Then she noticed something else. Heading in her direction from the island, a dark, twisting shadow was moving it's way through the sky, completely blotting out the stars and light as it passed.

_Looks like some kind of evil spirit or something, _she considered, narrowing her eyes. _Is that the spirit of Ninetails?_

She watched as the cloud passed overhead. It was moving too fast to not be heading somewhere. _I wonder where it's going. Maybe to where more demons are - or perhaps to where it came from?_

She came to a quick decision; follow it. She hadn't been able to help anyone in the city recently, and it didn't sound like they needed her now - and she hadn't been any help in the fight against Ninetails. And besides, after getting a beating from the demon, she didn't really want to go back there… not yet. Maybe if she could find out where all of the demons were coming from - or where they were going - she could actually be useful for once.

"Won't be missed much," she muttered, stretching to make sure none of her wounds would re-open themselves while she travelled. Luckily the shadow was moving at a speed she'd be able to keep up with. Taking a deep breath, only wondering for a brief moment what lay ahead, she raced slightly unevenly to the edge of the cliff and took off into the air.

* * *

"This weather is crazy!"

Kal had to shout to hear her own voice above the wind. She'd pursued the dark shadow across eastern Nippon, and as soon as she'd seen it heading over the sea she'd had to stop at Shinshu and rest after travelling so far. The sky there had been cloudy and ominous, almost like the day Orochi had been defeated, and every now again there had been the flash of lightning. Luckily when she'd started off again she hadn't been hit by any massive bolts of electricity, and she'd crossed the sea to the northern lands of Kamui.

Yet now she was in the north, she was starting to think coming here might not have been such a good idea. There was nothing but snow and ice as far as she could see - and that wasn't very far, considering there was a raging snowstorm.

_I can't fly in this weather, _she realised after the wind dragged her back another few metres. She half-landed, half-crashed to the ground, ending up in a massive snowdrift. Digging her way out, she shook snow from her fur, picked a direction to go, and struggled to walk onwards. _And where the heck am I?_

Snowflakes blew across her face, meaning she could barely see, and the gale was ruffling her fur. Not only that, but the cold was starting to make the scars along her sides sting. And above all, to make matters worse, she was exhausted.

"Come on…" she growled to herself, struggling onwards through the storm. She had no idea where she was heading.

As she squinted into the distance at the snowflakes swirling in front of her, she felt the ground lurch under her paws. The world was starting to spin. _That's not good. Just keep going._

Then as she took another step forwards, she lost her balance, and collapsed in the snow.

* * *

The news of the demon lord's defeat had spread through the city quickly - however, so had the news of Himiko's death. A shrine had been put together at the palace in memory of her, and many of the citizens had visited the place to pay their respects to their departed leader. Kamo intended to head over there as soon as he got a break from his guarding duties.

He glanced around as Waka appeared from nowhere on the platform in front of the ship. Even though Kamo had been in the Tao Troop for many years, he still had no idea how his captain did that…

_Good thing that wolf Amaterasu managed to find Abe's mask, or he'd be in trouble,_ he thought in somewhat relief. He didn't really understand why the captain had told him to grant the wolf and her tiny companion access to the Tao Troop headquarters, or why the captain had expected them to come here in the first place, but they just seemed like a few of a long list of things he couldn't decipher. He was beginning to get used to it by now.

"Captain," he dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Amaterasu was here earlier, and the little bug too."

"Trés bien," Waka replied absently, as he walked over and halted before going through the door. He looked as if he were going to say something else, but it was hard to tell. The captain was good at covering up his emotions.

Deciding he might as well speak up, Kamo continued. "I was wondering if it would be alright if I went over to the palace. To the shrine. I haven't had a chance to go there yet, so… ah…" He paused, unsure whether his captain had even heard anything he said.

"Hm? Oh, oui, that's fine," Waka told him. "Désolé, but I cannot stay. I have a very important mission to take care of." He turned, ready to head back along the platform.

"Oh… okay," Kamo nodded. _Another mission?_ "When will you be back?"

Waka stopped and hesitated for a moment. Then he spoke again. "The chances are I won't be coming back."

"N-not… coming back?" Kamo gasped, unsure whether he had heard him correctly. If he did, did that mean… "Is the mission highly dangerous?" He knew he wasn't supposed to question his captain, but after saying something like that…

However, if his captain was bothered by this, he gave no sign. Waka was silent for a few seconds, as if he was thinking of how to reply. "I guess you could say that."

Kamo wasn't really sure of what to say. The captain was looking into the distance and he couldn't see his face to get any idea of what he might be thinking. "Then I guess… all I can say is, be careful."

* * *

Everything was silent. Kal couldn't tell if it was because of the snow or because she hadn't yet come to her senses. They returned slowly, and one of the first things she noticed was that wherever she was now, it was too warm to be outside in the snowstorm. The faded sounds were coming back, and the one thing she could hear was the crackling of a fire.

_Fire?_

Immediately she jerked awake, lifting her head and looking around hurriedly. As her eyes came back into focus she realised she was in some kind of house, with a controlled fire crackling away a few feet away. _Where am I?_

"You're awake then, dog."

Kal's ears twitched at the unfamiliar voice, and she glanced over to where it had come from. On her first scan of her surroundings she'd been so confused she hadn't noticed that there was a man sat not far away beside the fire. Considering this was such a cold region his blue and red clothes didn't look that warm, but the most unusual thing about him was that covering his face was a blue mask.

"You must be crazy to have been wandering around in that storm. Not to mention all the demons around here."

"I have my reasons," Kal muttered quietly, fully aware that he wouldn't be able to understand her. "What's with the creepy mask, anyways?"

"Well, I could ask the same of a dog with creepy wings."

Kal jumped to her paws in shock and took a step back.

"What?" even though she couldn't see his face, the man sounded confused at her reaction.

"Y-you can understand what I'm saying?" Kal asked. She could feel a defensive growl rising in her throat. The last time a human had been able to understand her… that had been Rao. And she'd been possessed by Ninetails then. "You must be a demon!"

"Me?" the man rose to his feet and drew a sword from the sheath at his side, slicing it through the air. "How do I know _you_ aren't a demon? In fact, from the look of you, I'd say you probably are. Kutone will not awaken until it has tasted the blood of more monsters, and don't think you can defeat me!"

For a moment Kal remained in an attack position, ready to fight her way out. But just about every part of her body ached, and every battle she'd got into recently she seemed to end up losing… and who was to say this would be any different. She could tell from the scarred log in the corner of the room that this was someone trained at fighting, so they wouldn't be easy to defeat either. What was the point?

"Yeah," she sighed, hanging her head in defeat and shame. "I probably couldn't."

The stranger hesitated for a moment. The fact that she couldn't see his face or expression was starting to annoy her, but he seemed to have noticed how beaten she looked now, covered in scars. "I take it you're not a demon then,." he countered, sheathing the sword.

"No, and I guess you aren't either. But that still doesn't explain how you can understand what I say."

"You're not from around here, are you?" the man asked, still not sounding completely friendly, but at least he wasn't threatening to fight her now. "You can't be, otherwise you would know of the Oina."

"Oina?"

"We're half-human, half-beast. Occasionally that means we are able to communicate with more… intellectual animals."

_Half beast? _Kal repeated it in her head, deciding better not to say out loud as she'd already asked enough questions. She flopped back down onto the blanket that she'd been laying on a few minutes ago. "Well, I guess you 'Oina' folks have some hospitality, so… thanks."

The masked man was staring into the fire and didn't reply.

_Not that good at keeping up conversations, am I, _Kal thought ruefully. Though to be fair she hadn't really met that many people to have conversations with…

"Well, I've told you what I am. What are you supposed to be then?" he asked eventually.

"A dog," Kal shrugged.

"Haven't seen a dog with wings before. Can you fly?"

"Yea," Kal replied blankly. "I'm a Tsubasa Inu."

"Hm," the stranger commented, sounding somewhat amused. "I'd heard of them before, but I've never seen one. I wasn't sure whether they really existed."

"Well, I've never seen any others," Kal sighed, realising this herself. She gave a half-hearted smile. "But I think _I_ exist. The name's Kal."

The man was silent for a moment. "Oki. I don't know where you're from or why you're here, but if you want something for those wounds your best bet would be to go and see Tuskle. She's the village's shaman."

_I'll be fine without any healing remedies or whatever it is those shaman people use, _Kal thought, but she couldn't hang around here forever. Infact, up until now she'd forgotten why she came here to Kamui in the first place…

"The storm doesn't sound so bad now… though you might have trouble getting to the village past the cursed zone the demons spread."

"You mean this isn't the village?" Kal blinked. "You live out here on your own?" _In the middle of nowhere at that._

"You get used to it," Oki muttered.

Kal wasn't sure how to reply. It sounded as if what he had said had some other meaning behind it, but it wasn't really any of her business. "Well, if I can fly high enough I'll be clear of the cursed zone… so long as it isn't over the village…"

Oki froze. "I hope it isn't. Anyway, if you're going to see Tuskle, you'd better get going before the storm gets worse again."

* * *

Luckily the storm wasn't as bad as it had been before, and even though the visibility still wasn't perfect, Kal was able to fly again. She spotted the large totem poles that marked the village from quite a way off - they stood out amongst all the white of snow and ice - and headed that way, staying clear of the cursed zone. It had swallowed up half of the pathway leading there, but it didn't seem to have spread any further.

Kal flew down to walk the rest of the way, unsure if the storm would suddenly become fierce again. She didn't want to get blown into the cursed zone by a large gust of wind if it did. The snow was deep and it was harder to walk, but at least she wasn't getting blasted by snow this time.

_I wonder if there's any more of these 'Oina' folks here, _she thought as she travelled along the snowy path, passing a large sign reading 'Wep'keer'. _And if the others are as weird as that Oki guy._

At last the path opened out. _Wow._

The village of Wep'keer was quite large, and most of it was partway up the cliffs. It seemed almost as big as the city in size, though there weren't as many houses. Yet even though the village was large, it was strangely quiet.

"Geez, it's like a ghost town here," Kal muttered quietly, taking note of how eerie the wind sounded as it whistled through the valley. She wasn't actually that sure why she had come to this village in the first place. Looking for the shaman Oki had told her about wasn't exactly high on her priorities list. Perhaps the place where Ninetails' evil spirit had gone to was around here somewhere. Though that was probably more likely to be somewhere outside the village…

Suddenly Kal saw something move across the clearing. She glanced over and saw someone walking across the icy ground - very easily, she noticed, as if they were used to it. They looked like a girl, however Kal couldn't tell for sure since they also had a mask covering their face, though this time it looked like a deer.

_What is with all these weird-looking mask? That girl's mask is even creepier than Oki's._ Kal was about to head over and find out if this person would be able to understand her as well, when she noticed something else. On one of the cliff ledges nearby were three strange-looking things, holding signposts and covered with strange straw-like attire. One of them jumped from the cliff and hopped towards the girl, the others following shortly after. The way they moved, they seemed almost like imps…

_Demons! _Kal realised with a jolt. The girl hadn't seemed to notice them yet, but she didn't look like someone who'd be able to fend off monsters. Then again, the demons hadn't noticed Kal yet either…

She didn't know what to do. Every fight she'd been in recently she'd been beaten in - and nearly killed. How could _she _expect to fight off a bunch of demons?

_No time to waste. I can't just stand around and watch someone get attacked._ Kal drew her sword, slicing through a bunch of falling snowflakes. _I've got to do something!_


	9. Forest of Deception

**As it turns out, even though I like running through it, I hate writing about Yoshpet.**

**But Ishaku is awesome so we're all good.**

**Confusing the characters beyond heck is good as well.**

* * *

Kal raced forward, aiming for the oddly-faced monster which was closest to the girl. The ground underfoot was incredibly icy and she sliced right through the demon with her sword, black blood spraying onto the snow. Rather messier than she'd intended…

She span around to try and deal with the other monsters as well - after all, they seemed to be just like imps, but bigger and with scarier masks. But she didn't have any grip on the ice, and even when she tried to dig her claws into it they just scored lines on the shiny surface. When she finally reached the snow on the other side and found some grip, she span around, regaining her balance.

"Whoa!" she cried, jumping out of the way quickly as one of the demons swung the signpost it was carrying at her, slamming it into the snow and sending mush flying in all directions. It glanced around, trying to spot her through the flakes that were fluttering back down to earth and letting out a weird low sound that sounded like a distorted voice. Whether it was able to see anything in the first place through that massive mask was beyond her. Taking advantage of the demon's hesitation, Kal used her sword to slice through it, though more controlled this time and avoiding creating a bloody mess.

Right. Now she just had to deal with the last one.

Just as she was glancing around to find it there was a loud snarl from nearby. The girl had vanished, but she could see the demon jumping towards a path that she assumingly had used to escape. A large ice-blue wolf charged towards the demon, lunging at it and scoring claw marks across it's sides until it let out a rather low-pitched scream and scrambled away out of the village, dripping black blood in it's haste to escape.

_Saves me the effort, I guess, _Kal thought in indignation. She could have defeated the demon herself without any help. And who was this wolf?

All of a sudden the wolf turned, heading for her instead, teeth bared. Startled, Kal jumped into the air and over him, flying across the ice to land on the flat rocky ground in the middle of the clearing. Blood dripped onto the slate below and she realised that all the action had reopened some of the wounds that still plastered her sides. The wolf turned to face her once more, stalking across the ice, growling.

"Samickle, wait!"

Kal glanced around at another wolf-like voice and saw a mainly brown wolf hurrying over from one of the paths. She had a deer mask on her forehead and was just about exactly the same colour as the coat that girl had been wearing…

"What the heck?" Kal muttered, quiet enough that the wolves didn't hear her.

"I don't think she's a threat, Samickle," the wolf continued. "Didn't you see how she killed those demons? I think she was trying to save me."

The blue wolf stopped growling. "Maybe. Maybe not. But I have never seen one of those creatures before, Kai, how do we know we can trust it?"

"Uh, excuse me, still existent here," Kal cut in. "Don't really appreciate being called an it, thank you very much." She wasn't really sure what this Samickle wolf was talking about. What had he meant by 'one of those creatures'? "And I was just trying to help. No need to be so ungrateful. Unless you _want_ all your villagers to be eaten by demons."

"What are you doing in Wep'keer?" Samickle demanded, losing the snarling attitude and instead standing tall and superior, clearly not too pleased about her remark.. "Strangers aren't welcome here."

"Some blue-masked guy told me to go here and see someone called Tuskle," she shrugged casually, licking blood from her shoulder.

"Oki?" the brown wolf gasped.

"Yea, that was his name."

The two wolves exchanged a glance. Then they jumped into the air, seemingly doing what looked like a back flip.

And then Kal did a double take.

When they landed again they were no longer wolves, but _people_. The brown wolf had turned back into the girl that Kal had seen earlier, and the blue wolf had turned into a tall man with a light blue falcon mask and thick blue and white clothes.

_So that's what Oki meant when he said the Oina were 'half beast'. They can turn into wolves! _Kal's eyes were still wide with disbelief.

Samickle noticed her expression. "You aren't from around here. I don't know what you're doing in Kamui, but the gate leading to Laochi Lake and Tuskle's house is closed, and I cannot open it without the elder's signal."

_I could just fly over it, _Kal thought arrogantly, but decided not to point this out as Kai continued.

"And I don't think the elder is fit to see anyone right now, especially a stranger… ever since Lika vanished…"

"Lika?" Kal blinked.

"My younger sister," Kai went on, ignoring the glance that Samickle gave her, obviously not sure she should be telling a stranger so much. "She vanished a few days ago, and there's been no trace of her anywhere… except…"

Kal's ears twitched as the Oina girl's worried expression grew worse. _I've been trying to find someone to help for so long, I guess now's my chance._ "Where? I can help you look."

"Oh no, it's too much to ask, really… the consuming forest of Yoshpet is far too dangerous…"

"Dangerous? No sweat. Seen more danger than I can count." Kal was suddenly aware that what she had just said made no sense. Consuming forest? That sounded nasty. But she wasn't going to turn back now. "Well, you get the idea. So where is this… 'Yoshpet'?"

"The entrance is in Kamui," Samickle shrugged. "But the forest of deception is nothing to blink at. Even we Oina cannot last in there for long. If you really want to search for Lika in there, you do so at your own risk."

* * *

The snowstorm was starting to pick up again as Kal raced back along the path from Wep'keer, snow spraying behind her as her paws kicked up clouds of it as she ran. She wasn't entirely sure where Yoshpet was, just that the entrance was somewhere nearby. Perhaps that was where the spirit of Ninetails had gone after she'd lost track of it. After all, the way Kai and Samickle had spoken of the forest, it definitely seemed like something evil.

Then suddenly she remembered the cursed zone.

Kal skidded to a halt as she reached a corner, expecting to see black clouds looming in front of her, ready to swallow her up if she went a step too far. Yet there were none. Even with the rather bad visibility she could tell that the curse had vanished, and she could see the icy area around her, the only clouds the misty ones caused by the snowstorm.

But that meant…

"Amaterasu is here?" she sighed quietly to herself. Why did the goddess have to be wherever she went?

Ah well. At least with the curse gone finding the entrance to Yoshpet would be easier. She was just going to made sure she stayed away from the goddess as much as possible.

Kal glanced around, trying to decide which way to go. As she reached the end of the path from the village she could see a large stone wall nearby to the left, which might have been a gate. It had a large crest engraved into it that looked similar to all of the strange markings that had been on the houses in the village. Was that the entrance to the forest? It certainly looked like it was supposed to stop people going in, and judging by how the Oina had spoken about the forest it seemed like the sort of place they'd want to stay away from.

Hah, they certainly had a lot of gates. Gates were no problem for Kal, so it was going to take a lot more than a stone wall to keep her out. She was going to find this Lika kid, and she wasn't going to let some forest stop her. Making up her mind, she headed towards the gate.

"What the heck… dogfly! What are you doing here?"

As she heard Issun's high-pitched voice she glanced back to see Amaterasu heading towards the path to the village. Kal hesitated for a moment, glaring back at them, before taking off at a run, eventually jumping and flying over the wall.

Issun watched her go, noting how the dog had practically ignored them. "Sheesh, what's her problem?" he tutted.

Amaterasu let out a quiet bark, shaking her head, the poncle still managing to keep his balance as he jumped around.

"Ah well, never mind the mutt, we gotta get to the village before we freeze out here, Ammy."

At her companion's word, Amaterasu shrugged and raced off towards Wep'keer, creating a trail of flowers and grass in the snow as she ran.

* * *

Yoshpet was darker and more evil-looking than Kal had imagined. She'd been expecting just a bunch of trees, but there were vines, thistles, tree stumps… and not to mention thick clouds that hung just overhead. She wouldn't be able to fly over the area because there wouldn't be any way to see where she was. And the atmosphere that emanated from the darkness beyond… Kal felt a shiver run through her spine.

_Don't be such a wimp, it's just a forest, _she told herself. _Just like Agata, but more… dark. And dangerous. And smelly._

Why would a kid go in there anyways?

Maybe she could find a way around it. _Not like I'm scared or anything. But there must be some reason why this is named the "consuming forest" and getting eaten by trees doesn't sound too fun._

Deciding that maybe she should think this over, Kal flew up to the cliffs at the side where she could see over the dark clouds looming over the woods. They seemed to spread for miles. And she couldn't see a thing through them either…

Bah, she didn't know what to do. And now her paws were starting to go numb from the cold snow. She shook each of them one by one to shake off the wet mush.

"I see you're enjoying the weather, ma chérie."

Kal was so surprised she nearly fell off the cliff. She jumped back and span around, briefly wondering whether she'd been hearing things, but even though snow was still swirling around in the sky she could clearly see who was standing a few metres away.

"Looking for danger as usual, eh?" Waka commented blankly, brushing snowflakes from the wings of his hat. "I would have thought you've had enough by now."

Self-consciously glancing at the scars along her side once more - thankfully the ones she'd re-opened earlier had stopped bleeding long ago - Kal let out a despondent huff. So he really didn't care then. It would have been an overstatement to say she was surprised. She just found it creepy that she could feel herself shivering slightly from the frigid air, and yet even though Waka's clothes were quite thin he didn't seem the least bit cold.

"I won't even bother to ask why you are here, but the northern lands aren't suited for a dog. Just let Amaterasu get on with what she needs to do."

Kal felt a spark of anger as he spoke. Waka thought she was here just trying to get in Amaterasu's way? Whether she was jealous or not, she wouldn't stoop that low. She didn't care what the goddess was here for. She'd just wanted to stay away from her. A growl rose in her throat as she felt frustration burning inside her and Kal couldn't help letting out a snarl.

Waka actually looked surprised for a moment, but the shock flashed in his eyes only for a second before it was gone, replaced by something else, but since the prophet was so good at controlling his expressions Kal couldn't tell what it was. "No matter what you may intend, Kal, you cannot make someone else's destiny your own. The future just doesn't work that way."

What was that supposed to mean? Kal let out an irritated sigh as her anger started to fade. Why did she have to be a Tsubasa. If she'd been a normal dog she wouldn't have to worry about all these annoying emotions. And as much as she tried, she wasn't as good at feigning her expressions as Waka was. Which, much to her annoyance, was what he was doing right now. Yet she still had the feeling there was more to what he had said than just some nonsensical prophecy.

Her attention turned to the path below as she heard pawsteps; Amaterasu was heading this way from the direction of the gate. She didn't even bother trying to work out how the wolf had got past it. She also hadn't noticed that Kai was already at the entrance of the forest. What was going on? Were they going to look for Lika in there too?

She glanced over at Waka, starting to wonder why he was here, but the prophet had vanished. She could hear him in the valley below, talking to Amaterasu and Issun. Kal didn't bother listening to the conversation. Her focus was on the foreboding entrance to Yoshpet. Before the thought of going in there had made her nervous, but now she knew that the goddess was heading in there, she wasn't turning back. If Amaterasu could go through the forest, so could she.

* * *

Waka reappeared on the cliff tops once more. Issun was pretty annoying and had some strange speculations about why he was here, it seemed… but winding him up was fun, he had to admit.

Kal had disappeared though, and he didn't need foresight to figure out where she went. He glanced over at the forest to see her vanish through one of the gaps in the wall of vines that marked the entrance to Yoshpet. He didn't know why she was in Kamui, whether it was her own arrogance that had driven her to come here or something else, but he didn't need her here. She'd just be getting in the way. And besides, he knew what lay in the forest of Yoshpet, and Kal was bound to find out.

Waka let out a long sigh. Couldn't let memories get the better of him. _She's bound to find out eventually. Perhaps she won't even put two and two together. Trés bien. _Besides, when this was all over, he'd be leaving anyway. One way or another. Kal should have just stayed in the city. But she was here now, and if she was going to find out, then so be it. It wasn't his problem.

* * *

Light seeped through a few tiny gaps in the clouds, creating creepy shadows all around on the white snow. It was hard to tell among all the strange scents of the forest, but Kal could just pick up the scent trails of Kai and Amaterasu. She hurried along the paths, trying to get through the forest as quickly as possible. This place was starting to make her feel uneasy.

She saw movement in the corner of her eye and jumped back as some kind of fruit crashed into the snow, exploding in a puff of smoke. _Where the heck did that come from? _Then she realised that a tree nearby was swinging it's bud through the air. It opened and another fruit shot towards her.

The trees here were _alive_!

"Gah!" Kal yelped as she jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding being hit by another fruit. This was freaky. Trees didn't throw fruit at people.

She turned tail and ran, hoping she was still following the right track. She passed a couple of arrow signs on the larger forks in the path, and eventually she felt the aura from the forest start to weaken, and she could see light up ahead. The path opened out.

_Whoa…_

There was a small clearing here, with a large tree stump in the middle, and surprisingly the ground was covered with grass and plants rather than snow. A few deer and rabbits milled around, chewing on the greenery, and it felt somewhat warmer here than everywhere else in Kamui. It was nice.

There was so much green here that it took her a while to notice the tiny glowing sprite sitting on a rock near the tree stump. She blinked in surprise. "Issun?"

"Huh? What?" the poncle glanced around. "Dogfly! How did you get out here? As a matter of fact, what are you doing in Kamui? We left you in Ryoshima and suddenly you're all the way out here."

"Followed the black shadow," Kal shrugged. "Where's Amaterasu?"

"Ammy… she's, uh… in there…" he glanced towards the tree stump.

Kal followed his gaze and gave him a blank look. "No, seriously." It was smaller than her, the wolf would never fit in there. Was Issun mocking her again?

"Really, she is in there. This… this is Ponc'tan. Ammy got shrunk by the lucky mallet and now she's in the village."

Glancing from the slight glow that came from a gap in the tree stump to the mallet that jumped about a few feet away, Kal tried to take all this in. "Tiny village huh? How come you're not in there with her?"

"That's none of your business ya crazy mutt!" Issun snapped, jumping about on the rock he'd been sat on, his green glow starting to turn red.

"Okay, okay," Kal raised an eyebrow. "I only asked." She cast a glance at the mallet. "So how exactly does one get shrunk by a mallet? Sounds painful."

"Look, if you want to go into that drab village as well, stop beating around the bush and just ask."

"Well- yeah, okay." She didn't get why Issun was so ill-tempered.

"Alright then. Lucky mallet, go ahead and shrink the dogfly."

The mallet jumped into the air.

_Was this such a good idea…?_ Kal wondered, eyeing how heavy the mallet looked and shutting her eyes as she prepared for it to hit her.

Nothing happened. She could feel the ground moving under her paws…

Kal opened her eyes again. She was _shrinking_!

And then she stopped.

"That… was weird…" she muttered shakily, glancing around at how massive the grass seemed now. The deer and even the rabbits seemed scarily large… and then she noticed Issun again. "Whoa!"

Now that she'd been shrunk down to his size, she could see the poncle clearly rather than as a tiny black speck. He had a purple kimono, brown boots and long black hair that was tied back in a ponytail under his hat which looked like it was made out of the shell of some kind of beetle, and a bright green cape slung over his back. "What?"

"You look… different. As in, you don't look like a flea now."

"Wow. Was that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Well I'm sure humans look a lot better than fleas, so I guess it was."

"I wouldn't expect you to know anything about being good-looking," Issun laughed, a smile returning to his face at last. "You're a dog who spends all her time around a crazy prophet!"

Kal gave him an unimpressed glare. Even though he looked a lot different close up he still had the same annoying personality.

Suddenly the sprite broke off, glancing at the tree stump. "Look, if you're going in there just go already, will you?" he said more quietly, his grouchy mood starting to return.

Still not really understanding what he was so bothered about, Kal just shrugged. She was about to say some kind of foreign farewell just to annoy him but decided against it. "Well, see ya." She jumped into the air and flew into the tree stump.

* * *

Kal hadn't really been sure what she would find inside the tree, but to her disbelief there actually was a village here. She landed on a large leaf to admire the view. The whole of Ponc'tan was made of leaves, lily pads and generally things that looked like they'd been scavenged from the forest floor, and was above a pool of water that had gathered inside the tree stump. There was some light from gaps in the roof and a few glowing insects that flew around. She didn't know why Issun had called this place 'drab' when it looked so amazing.

From here she could see some rather short-looking people walking around, which she soon realised were more poncles. They were all wearing beetle hats or butterfly wings on their heads and a few of them were wearing armour made from the shells of bugs.

She knew that Amaterasu was around here somewhere, but she wasn't here to look for her. In fact, she wasn't really sure why she was here… the thought of a tiny village inside the remains of a tree had sounded so far-fetched she'd wanted to check it out for herself. These people were just like Issun, so perhaps, like him, they'd be able to understand her. It was strange being able to have conversations with everyone all of a sudden. Up until earlier that day the only people who'd been able to understand her were… well, dead.

Noticing two armour-clad poncles standing outside one of the houses across the village, she decided she'd go and find out what that was all about first. She ran to the edge of the leaf and jumped, soaring over the water and eventually flying back up to the path, landing a few centimetres away from the guards.

"Gah! Halt!" one of them gasped. "So many mini animals getting in here today…"

She didn't need to ask to know that Amaterasu had been here.

"Wait," the other guard, who looked very similar to the first except that the clothes under his armour were a different colour and his hair was straight and in a pony tail rather than short and spiked. "Aren't you a… what are they called… Tsubasa Inu?"

"Yes?" Kal nodded, surprised that someone knew what she was.

"Old man Ishaku told us about them a long time ago," the spiky-haired guard mused. "Are you hear to see him?"

"I… suppose so…?" Truthfully Kal wasn't really here to see anyone, but never mind. Hospitality and all that. And there was someone here who knew what she was, that was a first.

"He sure has a lot of visitors today," the long-haired guard commented. "Come on, dog. I'll take you to see him."

The guard strode over to the wooden door, beckoning for Kal to follow him, and pushed it open, glancing inside. "Old man Ishaku? Seems you have another visitor."

"Hm?" an old-sounding voice spoke up from inside. "Is Ammy back again?"

"No, it's another dog that's somehow managed to shrink," the guard informed him as Kal warily stepped into the room which was scattered with small plants that seemed to be growing from the floor. "It's a Tsubasa."

"A Tsubasa, huh?" Ishaku muttered. He was a very old-looking poncle with a stag beetle shell for a hat and similar armour to the guards outside, even though he didn't look like he'd be any good at fighting anything nowadays. "Surely you're not… Bengo? No, you can't be… he's… well…"

"Erm… my name's Kal," she said, realising that the elder couldn't see her. "Who's Bengo?"

"Ah, never mind, never mind. Kal. Nice name. What brings you here?"

"It's a long story…" didn't really have the time to explain everything. It was all too confusing.

"Well, I haven't seen a Tsubasa in a long time… you're not looking for the Spirit Gate, are you?"

"The Spirit Gate?"

"It lies deeper within these forests, but if you haven't come here knowing what it's capable of, you shouldn't go looking for it. Opening the gate will only invite misfortune."

Another place that sounded evil. Perhaps that was where that spirit had gone. Only one way to find out. "I guess I just won't open it then and I'll be fine."

"Ah, only my sword Denjinmaru can open it anyway. You're just asking for trouble going anywhere near that place."

"Trouble's practically my middle name lately, a little more won't do any harm," she shrugged. "Besides, it's just a gate." She turned to leave.

"Wait, Kal, before you go… are you a stray, or do you have an owner?"

"Yea I got an owner," Kal said absently as she headed for the door.

"Is their name Waka?"

She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Um… yes… h-how did you know…?"

"Ah, long story."

Kal's ears twitched. Obviously since she hadn't told him much about her he wasn't going to tell her how he knew. But that had just been… creepy. Shaking her head, Kal headed out the door.

She had a gate to find.


	10. Time Travelling

**Using the TARDIS Spirit Gate is one of the most awesome parts of Okami... so ofc Kal was going to go through it xD**

**And also discover something that is really obvious if you think about it, but at the same time probably just confused her even more.**

**Hooray for more OCs appearing. There aren't any more in this story after this though xD**

**Alsho Word was not happy about me mishpelling sho many wordsh for the shake of Shakuya's lishp.**

* * *

The moment Kal landed back outside the tree stump that housed Ponc'tan, she was back to normal size again so quickly she barely noticed. There was no sign of Issun or Amaterasu, so they must have already left. And she had a feeling she knew where they'd be going…

From here she could see the path that she'd come from to get to the clearing, but there was another one veering off to the left. The Spirit Gate must be that way. So that was where she was heading.

As she got closer to the path back into the forest she could sense the aura, even stronger than before. Kal hated this forest. Danger everywhere you turned, trees that were alive… still, if she wanted to get to this gate, there was no choice but to go through. No pain, no gain.

"Here we go," she muttered, taking a deep breath before heading back into the midst of trees and snow.

* * *

Snow swirled around quietly, and Kal made a five metre detour around every tree she passed just incase it threw something at her. This place was seriously getting to her. She'd been trying to move quietly so that, if any of the trees here were infact alive, perhaps they wouldn't notice her. Then again, a black dog stood out pretty badly in the snow. Could living trees see? As a matter of fact, could they even hear her? She shook her head, unable to understand.

It was then she realised that a shadow was falling upon her and the ground. She jumped to the side just in time as a massive icicle fell from seemingly nowhere, stabbing the hard ground underneath the snow.

Okay, moving slowly and quietly wasn't going to work.

She took off running, having no idea where she was. All the paths here looked the same. A few of the trees lobbed fruit at her but she was running so fast they were too slow to hit her.

_Don't slow down, don't slow down, just keep running, _she panted, dodging around trees and rocks as she tried not to trip over anything. She could probably move faster if she flew, but it would be harder to manoeuvre around all the trees.

Still not really sure where she was, she jumped through a gap in one of the thistle walls, realising too late that this was in fact moving as well and wincing as the thorns scraped across her side, causing blood to spray over the snow.

_Darn wounds are never going to heal if I keep re-opening them_, she sighed, pausing for a rest now that she was on a small ledge without any weird moving trees or falling icicles on it. Still, she was keeping her guard. Sooner or later she had to try and work out how to get out of here. She was utterly lost, and the smells floating around the forest were so strong they were starting to make her feel dizzy. No wonder they called it the consuming forest.

In the corner of her eye she noticed some movement and flinched, worried it might be another tree, but it was quite far away and hard to tell. Kal squinted to try and see through the snow, and after a few moments she finally realised it was a person. She didn't recognise them at first, but then she noticed their clothes were blue and red. _Is that… Oki…?_

The Oina warrior was heading deeper into the forest and away from her, almost looking like he knew where he was going. Where he was headed, Kal didn't know, but she was going to remain lost in this forest forever if she didn't find some way out.

"Looks like the wolf guy knows the way," she muttered, jumping down from the ledge and hurrying after Oki before his scent faded.

She followed the footprints Oki had left in the snow through the forest, trying to avoid the trees or gaining any more scars from the thistles. He'd disappeared from sight long ago, but luckily the snow wasn't that heavy in the shelter of the canopy above and the footprints were taking quite a while to be covered over, meaning she could easily tell where he was going. There were wolf paw prints here too, and every now and then Kal noticed splashes of ink in the snow. Wherever Oki was heading, Amaterasu - and most likely Issun - were there too.

Suddenly she realised she could see light up ahead. Was she back at Ponc'tan again? No, it was too bright…

The path ahead opened out into another small clearing, this time with only one way in or out, and there was a large stone gate stood in the middle of it. It didn't look like it would be of much use since you could walk all the way around it, but the doors were wide open and light was pouring out. It took her a few moments to realised that Amaterasu was stood in front of it; Oki was nowhere to be seen.

_Isn't opening the gate supposed to be dangerous or something? _Kal thought urgently, trying to recall what Ishaku had said. She was considering whether to call out to the goddess or not when Amaterasu jumped through the gate.

"Oh crud," Kal muttered, looking at the light up ahead, but she didn't slow down. The gate was starting to close. _Am I really going in there? It's supposed to be dangerous, and Ishaku did warm me that opening the gate invites misfortune…plus I have no idea where it leads…_

_But Amaterasu's there, and assumingly Oki is as well. _She felt a smile spread across her face. _So wherever it leads, it's sure to be an adventure._

Making up her mind, Kal sped across the snow and leapt through the gate, just seconds before the stone doors sealed shut.

* * *

The light inside the gate meant that for a second Kal couldn't see a thing, but it quickly faded and she found herself standing in a small clearing.

"So much for danger," she commented to herself, glancing around. It was night time, but the full moon in the sky lit up the area, making the cliffs nearby glow slightly in the dim light. _That's strange. The last full moon was only a few days ago, it can't be like that again already… and this place is giving me deja vu. I know I've seen this place before._

There was a tiny sapling in the middle of the clearing, and Kal noticed a child standing nearby. Was that Lika?

"Hey kid, your name Lika?" Kal called, padding over to the child, knowing she wouldn't be able to understand.

"Hm?" the child looked again. "Hey, a Shubasa! Who'sh Lika?"

Kal blinked. So this kid could understand her, strangely enough. As a matter of fact, she looked kinda familiar…

"Uh, yeah, kiddo… Tsubasa, not Shubasa. You seen some random child pass through here?"

"I think sho," the child shrugged. "An' I shaw a god too! Ama!"

"Might have guessed," Kal sighed. Ah well, Amaterasu was here looking for Lika now, and with her track record she'd probably find her before Kal did. She could still attempt to help, at least. Yet right now, the thing nagging at her mind was how strangely familiar this kid looked, with that long parted black fringe… "What's your name?"

"My name? I'm Shakuya! Imma wood shprite!"

_Wood shprite? … Wood sprite! _"Wait, your name is Sakuya?"

"Yesh, that'sh what I jusht shaid! Shakuya!"

"What happened to you?" Kal exclaimed. Last time she'd seen Sakuya, she had been grown up, not some child…

"Huh? Shubasa, you're funny!"

"Oh, never mind," Kal rolled her eyes. She cast a glance back at the tiny sapling. She knew where she was now, but it seemed so different… it wasn't supposed to look like this. Last time she'd been here that sapling had been a massive tree, guarding the village. What had happened to it? Had a demon cursed it or something?

She raced over to the edge of the cliff nearby and glanced down to see the surrounding area. There was no denying it. This was Kamiki Village.

_How did I end up here? _she wondered, confused. _I guess it must have been the Spirit Gate. But why has it just sent me to Kamiki Village? There's nothing dangerous or misfortunate here since Orochi was defeated._

Yet the village looked different than the last time she'd been here as well. The trees were no longer covered in cherry blossoms, and she could sense an evil presence in the air… one that she hadn't sensed for a while now.

_It can't be… this is the same evil I sensed… when Orochi returned…_

Was that ugly snake back again? She thought Amaterasu had defeated it for good last time!

"This is crazy!" she cried, shaking her head. Kal had no idea what was going on, but there was only one way to find out. She jumped from the cliffs and spread her wings, flying down towards the village.

Then she noticed a familiar white shape walking along the main path of the village and across the bridge.

"Hey, Amaterasu!"

The wolf glanced around as she heard her name being called and gave a quiet bark in reply.

"Gah! Dogfly, keep it down!" Issun hissed as Kal landed on the path nearby. "What the heck are you doing here anyway? Are you following us?"

"I'm here the same reason you are, looking for Lika," Kal replied quietly. "And what's with the hush? It's just Kamiki."

"You really have no idea where this is, do you?" Issun mumbled. "This isn't just Kamiki Village. The Spirit Gate has taken us back 100 years in the past. This is when the legend of Orochi was!"

For a moment Kal didn't reply. She knew the legend of Orochi; the serpent had demanded a sacrifice on the festival each year, until it was finally defeated by Nagi and Shiranui. And if this really was 100 years ago, that would explain the evil she could sense in the air… but was that even possible? "But… how…?"

"Long story short, everyone here thinks Ammy is Shiranui, we've kinda just knocked out Nagi who is supposed to defeat Orochi, and we need to go swipe that sacrificial robe so we can make everything go like in the legend or who knows what will happen."

"So where's the _real_ Shiranui?"

"How should we know?" Issun snapped. "For all we know, coming here could have completely screwed up history. And dogfly, you're not even supposed to be here! There's no mention of creepy flying dogs in the legend of Orochi!"

"Fine, fine," Kal tutted. "I won't ruin history just by wandering around here. No one in the village has even seen me."

"Well, just make sure you don't screw anything up," Issun warned. "We don't have time to sort out any chaos you make."

"I won't," Kal retorted, glaring at him. "Go fix up your own mess." She stalked past Amaterasu and along the path towards Shinshu, not even waiting for Issun to reply.

* * *

"Wow."

The fields of Shinshu looked even more different than Kamiki had. Past the river everything was clouded with mist, and it was impossible even to see the sky beyond. Even when this place had been filled with clouded skies the last time she was here, it hadn't seemed as deserted or creepy as it did now.

Kal padded along the path, not really sure where to go. There weren't many places _to_ go. She felt almost saddened by how empty the plains looked, especially since she had been here many times before when she'd travelled to the Moon Cave with Waka to check on Orochi's seal, and the area had always looked to full of life. Even the guardian sapling that had been in the centre of the area wasn't there anymore. Or yet. This whole time-travelling thing was confusing.

_Well, since there isn't really anything else to do around here, I might as well go check out the Moon Cave. Perhaps it looked different before Orochi was defeated the first time._

She headed towards the hills that lead to the Moon Cave, realising that she could detect Oki's scent here, as if he'd been this way. Had he been heading there as well? _Geez, that guy must be crazy. Change of plan. Go and make sure he hasn't killed himself by wandering around near that giant serpent._

Then suddenly she heard a sound carried by the slight breeze, and she froze on the spot. That sound was familiar.

_Scarily_ familiar.

It was the unmistakable sound of a flute.

Kal glanced around hurriedly, trying to work out where the sound was coming from, but she couldn't tell. Remembering the last time she'd mistaken that sound for what she thought it was, it had just been a green imp, but this time the notes were too perfect for it to have been a demon.

There was one final long note, and the music stopped, almost as if it had just vanished in the wind. Kal scanned the area for a moment longer, sniffing the air and trying to pick up any kind of scent, but the only new one was Oki's. Whoever it was, they were too far away for her to be able to detect.

_I must be going crazy, _she thought to herself with a shrug. _It couldn't have been Waka. This is 100 years ago. Unless he went through the Spirit Gate as well… but I doubt he would have._

Casting one last glance around the fields, Kal sighed and continued along the path to Harami Lake.

Little did she know she was being watched.

* * *

The path to the Moon Cave looked almost exactly the same as before, though the water reflected the moonlight so much it was hard to see the bottom of the lake. The moon shrine that in the present day was next to the large gate marking the entrance to the Moon Cave wasn't there, however the moment she stepped through the archway the moonlit water disappeared to be replaced with the dark murky lake that had surrounded the caves before.

The large mountain looked similar to when Kal had last seen it, with the storm clouds circling around overhead and lightning flashing in the distance. And she'd never be able to forget the rancid smell coming from that mucky water. Even thinking about that time she'd fallen in made her grimace. At least she knew better than to make the same mistake again.

Then her ears twitched as she heard another sound. Not a flute this time, but still somewhat familiar all the same. It sounded like… wings…?

She didn't even get another moment to consider what the sound might be, as all of a sudden something landed on the ground nary a few feet in front of her, causing some dust from the path to lift off the ground.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Kal was too shocked to answer. Her jaw dropped. It couldn't be…

"C'mon, kid, speak up. You must know this place or you would have turned tail and ran the second you went through the gate. Who are you?"

"I-I…" Kal was still getting over her surprise. "… Kal…?"

"Well, you can speak then," the stranger mocked. "I don't suppose this is much to you, but the name's Bengo."

_I don't believe it. He… he's a Tsubasa!_


	11. Forgotten Hero

**Scene-skimming. It's my expertise, yo.**

**And now we find out who Bengo is (kind of) because this story progresses too quickly like.**

* * *

"You never answered my question. What are you doing here?"

Kal thought for a moment how to reply. How was she supposed to explain that she was from 100 years in the future? She took another glance at the dog who was standing in front of her; he looked quite a bit like her, since he was a Tsubasa. Yet he looked quite old, and some of the fur around his muzzle was starting to turn grey. He had a dark purple scarf around his neck and he was covered with deep scars that would have been gained from a lifetime of battles, including one that ran across his face. The main difference she noticed, however, was that his wings were silver, though that might just have been because he was old…

"Erm… time-travelling?" Kal replied a little helplessly.

Bengo's eyes narrowed slightly, but surprisingly he didn't look like he thought she was crazy. He had a look of wisdom in his eyes, as if he knew something she didn't. _He's been alive for way longer than I have, that's barely surprising._ Still, it was a little unnerving.

"I meant, what are you doing here at the Moon Cave?"

"Making sure someone isn't dead."

"Ah, you must be following that masked guy then."

Kal blinked in surprise. How did he know? She searched the elderly Tsubasa's face for any clues as to what he might be thinking, but his expression was too hard to read. He was watching her carefully, as if trying to work out what kind of character she was. Was he as surprised to meet another of his own kind as she was?

"Don't look so surprised, you're hardly the best at sneaking around," Bengo scoffed. "If you don't want people following you- never mind. I don't know why I'm wasting my time here. Just get lost, kid, this place is too dangerous for the likes of you."

"Too dangerous for me?" Kal growled. "Yeah right."

Someone else trying to make her feel worse about herself, it seemed. So what if she wasn't the best fighter, she was only going to make sure Oki hadn't got himself killed. She dodged around the side of the other dog and raced ahead towards the moon cave.

Then she skidded to a halt as suddenly there was a flash of gold and Bengo appeared in front of her once more, blocking the way.

Her eyes went wide. "What the… how did…"

"You ain't listening, are ya, kid? I'm on my way to help Amaterasu defeat Orochi, and I don't need some brat getting in my way! So scram!

Kal froze for a second. "Brat!" she snarled. "I'll show you who's a brat, old timer!"

Quickly she drew her sword and lunched towards Bengo, expecting him to be surprised. But before she even reached him the dog vanished in a bunch of gold sparks and she ended up attacking the ground instead. Then she jumped out of the way just in time as a double-ended sword flew into the ground right where she had just been.

"Heh. You should learn to respect your elders."

Kal glanced around to see Bengo sat calmly on one of the rocks nearby.

"How… did you _do _that?" she gasped, returning her sword to the sheath on her back..

"I'm sure you'll find out some day, kid," Bengo shrugged, going to retrieve his own sword. Kal noticed that the handle was metallic and was patterned with blue lines, just like the sections on her collar. As he picked it up in his mouth the blue lines glowed for a moment, and then both blades disappeared inside the handle. He slid the weapon under his scarf, and even though it looked like it might fall out it stayed where it was. "But at least you're quick. And you got some guts. Just make sure you don't go spilling them."

Kal was surprised to actually hear a compliment from the old dog. Yet she still wasn't sure whether to trust him or not. She'd never met a dog that could teleport before… then again, she'd never met another Tsubasa before either.

"I'm quick enough to avoid any attack from some dumb old serpent," she countered, losing the defensive pose and going back to standing at full height. "Besides, if you're going to help defeat Orochi, why are you standing around here talking to a random dog?"

Bengo blinked in surprise and Kal felt a flash of satisfaction that at last he'd finally shown some kind of emotion. "You're hardly a random dog. Haven't seen another Tsubasa in quite a while, and that's saying something. Guess I best be going then."

Kal watched as he turned and headed along the path towards the Moon Cave. She could remember what Waka had said to her a while back, the last time she'd got anywhere near Orochi; _whether you can fight or not, there is nothing a dog can do against evil that strong_. Bengo was a dog, and he was going to try and help defeat that demon. Why couldn't she help too? Bah. Waka wasn't here to shout at her now. She was going to help defeat Orochi as well, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Hope you got room for some extra help," Kal called, hurrying after him.

"You sure are persistent, aren't ya, kid," Bengo tutted, rolling his eyes.

"I do have a name, you know. It's Kal."

"Yeah. Kal. Just don't do anything stupid, kid."

She knew that he was purposefully trying to annoy her, so she didn't let his mocking bother her. The two dogs headed up the steps leading to the cave entrance, which this time had no barrier across it. There was a dim light coming from somewhere inside which lit up the purple smoke that floated around the tunnel. Kal hesitated for a moment, remembering how Orochi had come flying out of the darkness last time.

"You coming or not? Make your mind up already," Bengo called, already almost out of sight.

"Yeah. Coming." Kal gave herself a brisk shake and carried on along the tunnel to catch him up. Couldn't show herself up by looking like she was scared of Orochi, not after what it had taken for Bengo to actually let her come with him.

"Don't worry, kid. Orochi never leaves the middle of the cave unless his sacrifice is here."

"I'm not worried," Kal retorted, hiding the truth. "I've just been here before, that's all. Trying to think of the best way of attack."

"Been here before, huh. When was that?"

"A hundred years from now, though I don't expect you to believe that."

"Well, many wouldn't," Bengo muttered.

Kal raised an eyebrow. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"That gate up there leads to Orochi's throne room," Bengo pointed out, changing the subject. He nodded to an open gate that was at the top of a flight of stone stairs, making it impossible to see what was beyond. "I don't think Amaterasu is here yet, but if you want to find out if that strange masked guy is still alive we'd better go make sure he stays that way."

As Bengo walked on ahead up the steps, Kal hung back in confusion. _Who is this guy? The way he speaks, it almost sounds like he knows me… or at least knows something…_

Her ears pricked as she heard running pawsteps behind her, and she glanced around to see Amaterasu speeding towards her. The wolf slowed down as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"What the heck are you doing now, dogfly?" Issun cried. "What did I say about not screwing up history?"

"Oh please, I'm not screwing it up any more than you are."

"But there's - wait…" suddenly Issun seemed to notice Bengo. "Hey, where'd that guy come from?"

Bengo glanced around and gasped. "Amaterasu, you're back!"

The goddess tipped her head to one side in confusion.

"Back?" Issun questioned. "What're you talking about, old dog? And who the heck are you?"

Bengo's eyes narrowed as if he were understanding something. "Just some stranger to you, I'm sure, little envoy."

"Envoy?" Kal muttered quietly.

"Wherever these creepy dog-flies keep coming from, they're all crazy," Issun tutted. "If you'll excuse us, me and Ammy here got a serpent to defeat."

Amaterasu trotted on up the stairs, casting a puzzled glance at Bengo as she passed him. As Kal watched his expression, she realised that the old dog knew the goddess somehow, even though she didn't appear to know who he was.

_This guy is starting to get very strange._

She shook her head to try and clear it. "Well, can't let them have all the fun." She hurried up the smooth rocky steps after them. "We going to help or not?"

"'Course," Bengo replied simply, casting a glance back at the tunnel they had been through before following her.

* * *

Kal arrived at Orochi's "throne room" a few moments after Amaterasu, but soon enough to hear Issun's surprised outburst.

"Oki!"

The Oina warrior was stood in the clearing in front of them, Orochi nowhere to be seen. There was only some kind of temple with a bell attached in the centre of the room.

"An evil power lured me to this cave," Oki said, glancing over his shoulder. "And now that you're also here, there can be no doubt. This must be Orochi's stronghold!"

"Great deduction there," Kal mumbled, glancing around the clearing. She'd seen the shrine in the centre of the cave before, though then it'd had the sword Tsukuyomi in it to seal Orochi. Perhaps they were too late, and the real Shiranui had already been here and defeated the demon. Yet the place still felt too evil for the serpent to have been slain…

Then she noticed there was someone lying underneath the bell. It was a child wearing a green coat and a mask that seemed to big for their face. She cast another glance at Oki. _If all the Oina wear masks, then I'm guessing that kid must be Lika!_

Shouldn't they go and get Lika? Kal was about to take a step forwards when the ground suddenly jolted and she nearly lost her balance.

"What the…"

The floor around the temple cracked, causing the ground to shake even more. Then the temple started to move. It turned and rose out of the ground, eight crocodile-like heads appearing out of the ground on long necks…

_That's Orochi! I didn't realise he was so massive!_

Each of the heads simultaneously let out a loud roar that echoed deafeningly around.

"Still sure coming here was a good idea, kid?" Bengo grinned.

"Definitely. Like I'm gonna let some overgrown worm scare me."

Though actually she was terrified. _What have I got myself into now? Last time I tried to attack Orochi it didn't even leave a dent on him - and then there was only one head, never mind eight!_

Couldn't start thinking about that now. Remembering now that Amaterasu had defeated this demon before, she didn't feel quite so bad… and she could feel some of her jealousy of the wolf starting to ebb away. _Perhaps it wasn't just that Amaterasu is a lot stronger. Maybe I'm just too weak…_

_No, don't tell yourself that, you idiot! If I start thinking like that now I'll be killed!_

As if in echo to her thoughts, Kal dived out of the way as a massive fireball smashed into the ground next to her.

_Let's just hope that Amaterasu doesn't die like Shiranui did…_

She raced around the circumference of the room, deciding that if she tried to take on the same head as Amaterasu she'd only be getting in the way. She had to duck as a ball of lightning fizzed against the wall behind her, Orochi's lightning head letting out a roar of anger as he missed.

_Maybe I can do this, _she thought, paying close attention as the lightning head summoned more orbs of electricity. _Perhaps if I can just avoid all of it's attacks…_

Drawing her sword, Kal raced towards the lightning head, dodging around the electricity that sparked through the air. While it was still letting out a frustrated roar, she jumped towards it's gaping mouth, ready to slice through it. Yet a barrier blocked her way and she was rebounded off it, dropping back down onto the pool of sake and water below.

She cast a quick glance across the room. Amaterasu was using her powers to guide the spiked water into one of the other head's mouths. As soon as she did that to the third head along, all of the heads collapsed, and Kal had to jump out of the way before the lightning head fell on her.

"So that's how she did it," Kal muttered to herself, watching as Amaterasu ran along the fire head's neck and onto the temple, hitting at the large bell with the sword on her back. Eventually the monster let out a screaming roar of agony, the temple sinking back to ground level and the heads being dragged backwards as they were pulled back towards the ground.

_Awesome, we're actually defeating it! _Then she realised. _Actually, Amaterasu is doing all the work here. Whenever I try and hit Orochi, he just blocks my attacks… _perhaps she was distracting the other heads? Ah well, at least she knew she could avoid most of the demon's attacks, so she might actually live through this battle. Ume would never believe her if she told him she'd witnessed the legendary battle with Orochi!

Amaterasu was working her way anti-clockwise around the room, defeating each of the other heads one my one - it was easy to tell from the fire and blood from Orochi that splashed into the air. Among all the chaos she couldn't see where Oki had vanished to, but she could see Bengo flying around near one of the other heads, trying to confuse it.

Kal stepped aside as the lightning head made a poorly-aimed drunken lunge towards her. It looked like it wouldn't be long before the battle was over now.

Suddenly she heard a loud yelp. Kal glanced around in shock to see the poison head grab Bengo in it's jaws, sinking it's teeth into his side.

"Hey!" Kal shouted, jumping over the light head which had momentarily collapsed to the ground - or perhaps it was supposed to be an attack - and going to jab her sword into the poison head's long neck. "Don't bite him, worm, you don't know where he's been!"

Even though her blade didn't do much damage to Orochi, the poison head still let out a loud roar of irritation, sending Bengo flying across the room where he crashed to the ground at the side.

Kal jumped back to avoid the poison head's attack and raced over to the old dog. "Are you okay?"

Bengo struggled to get to his paws. "Don't… worry about me… kid…" his legs trembled and he looked like he might collapse.

"Don't let a little wound put you off, man!" Kal cried. Blood was trickling down the Tsubasa's side from where Orochi's teeth had penetrated his skin, and Kal felt a stab of fear as she realised that it seemed to be hinted with purple…

_That's not good… that purple colour, it's… Orochi's poison…!_

"I said don't worry about me!" Bengo snapped. "You gotta look after yourself, kid, if you'd just pay attention."

"Huh? Whoa!" Kal lurched to the side as a laser seared just centimetres from her face. _Darn it, the light head's back up again. I have to distract it so that it doesn't hit Bengo!_

She raced towards the light head, barking loudly to make sure it's attention was kept on her. It called forth another bunch of lasers, though Kal had plenty of notice and was able to dodge around them in time. Though as she dodged one of the lasers, the lightning head slammed into her, throwing her across the clearing.

_Crap, _Kal growled silently as she regained her balance on the stone floor. The light head was shooting more lasers at her and she wasn't ready to dodge them…

Then there was a flash of white as Amaterasu jumped in front of her, a reflector appearing from nowhere and deflecting the demon's attack. The goddess growled and directed sake into Orochi's mouth as the serpent let out yet another angry roar. Kal watched in somewhat disbelief as she ran towards the monster and slashed at it with her weapon until the light head was knocked out, then raced away to deal with one of the other heads.

_Amaterasu saved me, _she realised. _But why… she is a god, I guess… looking out for everyone… even those who are unimportant…_

Kal kept watching the goddess for a moment longer as she dodged the poison head's drunk attack, then glanced back over at Bengo. The old dog had collapsed on the ground again, but luckily he still seemed to be breathing. For now.

Deciding it was safe now that all but one of the heads had been defeated - and Amaterasu was fighting the last one - Kal ran back over to him.

"Just hang on, old guy, we can get you some help or something," she said slightly worriedly. He didn't look good…

"You're crazy, kid," Bengo wheezed. "You shouldn't be risking your life here when it's not even your time."

_So he does believe I'm from the future then, _Kal blinked. "Soon as the fight's over me or Amaterasu can get you outta here. Just hang on till then, okay…!"

Bengo was silent for a moment. "You don't have to try and protect me just because I'm a Tsubasa like you, Kal."

Kal's eyes widened. Not only because he'd actually used her name instead of "kid", but because she realised that had been why she had tried to defend the old dog. It had just been so amazing to meet another Tsubasa… to know she wasn't the only one in Nippon… she didn't want to let him die.

_But this a hundred years in the past. In the present day, he'd already have died anyway…_

Unable to give a reply, Kal glanced across the clearing to watch as a man arrived, which she assumed must be Nagi since he was holding the legendary sword Tsukuyomi - even though he was wearing the robes that the sacrificial girl was supposed to wear, which assumingly was supposed to be his disguise. Nagi sliced through each of Orochi's heads, though Kal noticed Amaterasu flick her tail each time, so she was clearly helping him. However, he managed to slice through the last head unaided. The warrior didn't seem to be as great as she'd expected, given how highly he was spoken of in the legend. At least he'd killed Orochi. Well, partially him.

Nagi stood in the centre of the bloodstained clearing, laughing to himself at his victory. Lika was with Amaterasu and Issun, but Oki was nowhere to be seen.

_Probably crept off somewhere, since I doubt he could have been much use in the battle either, _Kal thought to herself.

Suddenly clouds started to form overhead, swirling above the centre of the clearing. _What the…_

Then a massive rock appeared, falling to the ground, ready to crush Nagi.

"Pops!" Issun shouted.

All of a sudden there was a blast of light, just as the rock landed. When it faded again, Kal could see that Nagi hadn't been crushed, as there was a wolf struggling to hold it up.

_But… that looks like… Amaterasu…_

Yet when she looked over to where the goddess had been a minute ago, she was still there. _But if Amaterasu is there, then this must be… Shiranui?_

Shiranui used the last of her strength to throw the boulder off her back and then collapsed. More rocks were beginning to fall around the clearing.

"Get outta here, kid," Bengo ordered, struggling to get shakily to his paws.

"I'm not leaving you in here!" Kal retorted, noting how the old dog didn't look like he'd manage to even get to the gate on his own, let alone escape from the caves.

"I told you, kid, don't worry about me! You just have to escape before you get crushed!"

"Why do you even care about me?" Kal snapped. "You said yourself, don't feel you have to protect me just because I'm another Tsubasa!"

"You really don't get it, do you, kid," Bengo laughed, though it sounded more like a cough. "You don't know who I am."

"How would I? You're from 100 years in the past!"

"Well I know who you are, kid. In a hundred years from now, you'll be who you are looking at me right now. Kal. My great-granddaughter."

"What!" Kal gasped. _Bengo is… was… my great-grandfather? How would he know something like that? But I suppose this does explain why he seemed to know who I was…_

"I've seen into the future, Kal," Bengo rasped, obviously noticing her bewilderment. "You can't die here. It isn't your fate."

_My fate…? _Kal was about to reply when suddenly Bengo shot forward, crashing into her side and pushing her backwards; then a second later one of the giant falling boulders came crashing down, and the old Tsubasa vanished from sight.

"No… no!" Kal shouted as more boulders fell around her, but she barely noticed. _Bengo… my great-grandfather… he can't have died trying to save me!_

Yet she knew there was no way he could have escaped. Even if he could teleport, he wouldn't have managed to do so in time…

_This is all my fault…!_

"Hey, hey, kid!" a high-pitched voice shouted, and Kal looked around in surprised as something jumped towards her around the boulders, eventually hopping up onto her muzzle to look her in the eye. "Don't just stand here or you'll get crushed too!"

"Issun…?" Kal muttered, barely even aware of what was going on around her. No, this wasn't Issun. She couldn't see who it was through the glow, but the light that shone around Issun was green. This sprite's glow was yellow, and the bug hat he had on seemed somewhat familiar. _Wait, this… this is Ishaku!_

"I don't know exactly who you are, dog, but Bengo just saved your tail there, and he wouldn't do that for someone he didn't know. And I owe it to the old guy to make sure you get outta here in one piece!"

"But… he…" Kal stuttered, glancing at the rocks where Bengo had been a few moments ago. Purple-stained blood was spreading across the floor.

"Move!"

She glanced up just in time and managed to avoid getting crushed by another one of the boulders by jumping out of the way. Luckily Ishaku managed to keep his balance and hopped up onto her head instead.

"Now run, kid, we gotta get outta here!"

Her awareness returning to her, Kal took off at top speed across the clearing, zigzagging around the shadows that fell over the ground to avoid the falling rocks. She raced through the gate and down the flight of stairs, trying not to fall, and paused to cast a quick glance behind her as she reached the bottom.

_Bengo… even though I now know you were my ancestor, I know there's still something you didn't tell me… and I guess I'll never find out… but you died a hero's death. No matter what "my fate" is, I'll never forget that._

"I'll miss him too, kid," Ishaku sighed, resting a tiny hand on her head. "But we gotta get out of these caves, it's still not safe here."

Casting a last, sorrowful look back towards the gate, Kal faced back towards the tunnels and ran on to safety, disappearing into the darkness.


	12. The Ark of Yamato

**This is kinda a filler chapter as far as there is only one main thing that happens in it... **

**Although the main thing is quite an important main thing.**

**In a main thing kind of way.**

**Yea.**

**Also if you hadn't noticed by now, I absolutely HATE writing pre-existant scenes. Hence why I skim through them all. But hopefully anyone reading this would have played Okami and know what happens in the scenes anyways...?**

* * *

Before she reached the outside of the caves there was a bright flash of light, and Kal found herself running back out of the Spirit Gate, once again surrounded by the forests of Yoshpet. Surprised from the unexpected scene change, she fell and collapsed in the snow, panting heavily as she tried to get her breath back. Ishaku had vanished, presumably back in the right time again, and Amaterasu, Issun and Oki were nowhere to be seen either.

_Was it my fault…? _Kal whimpered as she lay looking up at the sky. The clouds that had hovered above the forest before had vanished, and even though it was still daytime the sky was darker than usual, but she barely noticed. _Was it my fault that Bengo died? Is that what going back in time caused?_

_No… he was on his way to join the fight with Orochi when I met him, and he got poisoned… even if he hadn't been crushed trying to save me, it wouldn't have been long before the poison killed him anyway…_

And what had happened when Shiranui had appeared? If that was the real Shiranui, from 100 years in the past, then that was how Amaterasu really died long ago… so perhaps their time travel hadn't changed anything after all. Maybe that was how it was meant to happen in the first place.

Then she remembered why she'd came here in the first place. There had been no traces of the evil spirit here in the forest, so it must have gone somewhere other than to the gate.

"Can't lay around here all day," she muttered to herself, getting up and shaking the snow from her fur. The past Shinshu was a lot warmer than here; she'd forgotten quite how cold Kamui was.

Kal glanced up at the sky once more, her eyes coming to rest on the sun that was visible just above the trees. It didn't seem as bright as normal. In fact, it didn't seem completely round either… it looked like something had taken a chunk out of it.

_What the heck? How can part of the sun be missing?_

She tried to remember everything she'd found out recently, her mind finally drifting back to when she'd met Oki. He'd mentioned something about a shaman, hadn't he? Perhaps they'd know.

Deciding that her next destination would be Wep'keer again, Kal spread her wings and took off into the shadowy sky.

* * *

The village was quiet as Kal flew down to land on one of the high paths.

Too quiet.

Where was everyone?

"Hello!" she shouted above the noise of the wind. The snowstorm seemed even worse than it had been before, and there wasn't a villager in sight. No one replied to her call.

Perhaps they were all sheltering from the storm. She knew Samickle had mentioned something about where Tuskle lived, and she wracked her brains to try and remember what he had said.

_Something about a gate…?_ she recalled as the followed the paths up to the top of the village where smoke was rising slowly from the chimney of a house. _Aha. There's a gate there. And looks like it's open. At least I won't have to fly through this storm again to get past it._

She raced through the gate and along the valley beyond it which slowly lead even further upwards. A few snow-covered trees lines the paths and in the distance she could see the tops of two mountains.

Eventually she came to another gate, and although this one was closed one of the sections at the side was broken, giving a space large enough for even a fully-grown human to walk through. She raced through the gap and headed onwards as the path opened out into a large frozen lake.

And then she skidded to a halt.

"Whoa!"

Laochi Lake, as Samickle had called it, was absolutely massive, though that wasn't what had surprised her. In the middle of the frozen surface of the water there was a giant boat, but it was in too much of a strange angle and too big compared to the size of the lake to have just sunk… and there was ice packed up around it as if the lake had frozen as soon as it did and hadn't melted since.

Closer by, at the side of the lake, there was a large stone shrine, where Lika was standing, doing some kind of dance. Another Oina was stood nearby, her black hair tied with a scarf and a brown mask covering her eyes. Two small owls perched on either side of the mask on branches. She glanced around as she heard Kal's outburst.

"Hm? Who - oh, you're a Tsubasa! Samickle mentioned that he'd met one… what brings you here?"

"Ah… looking for someone I was advised to see, actually," Kal told her, trying to come up with something to say. "Erm, a guy called Oki said I should look for someone named Tuskle?"

"That's me," the owl-masked Oina replied, and Kal noted that even though the mask only covered part of her face it was still almost impossible to tell what her expression was. "But why would Oki tell you to find me? He broke through the Affun Gate and into Wawku Shrine… he isn't hurt, is he?"

"Wha?" Kal blinked, all of this sounding gibberish to her. "No… or at least, not that I know of. He told me a while back but I kind of… got side-tracked." There wasn't much point explaining the real reason Oki had told her to find the shaman, since the wounds along her sides were half-healed already, so she might as well just get straight to why she was here now. "Not to ask the obvious, but why is there a giant boat in the middle of a frozen lake?"

"You are new to Ezofuji, aren't you, Tsubasa?"

"I guess you could say that. Plus, it's a first that people here actually seem to know what I am."

Tuskle turned to look out over the lake. "That giant boat you speak of is the Ark of Yamato. It fell from the heavens a long time ago, longer than anyone can remember."

"Fell from the heavens? But… it's a boat…"

"A boat made by an ancient civilization that far surpasses our own," Tuskle continued. "Legend says that when it crashed here in Laochi Lake, countless demons escaped from it. That's why this place is sometimes called the lake of demons."

"So that's where all the demons came from," Kal mumbled quietly, remembering the evil spirit that had headed in this direction. Was that ark where it went? As she glanced up and noticed the waning sun, she remembered what she'd been meaning to ask in the first place. "Oh, and sorry for all the questions, but… what's happened to the sun?"

"Don't worry, I understand your curiosity. It's nearly the Day of Darkness, an eclipse that happens every 100 years. If Ezofuji doesn't erupt and warm Kamui soon then the whole of the village will freeze."

"Ouch," Kal muttered.

_But wait. Isn't Amaterasu the sun goddess? Can't she do anything to stop the eclipse? And if she can't, what will happen to her when the sun goes out?_

_It's funny really, _she thought to herself, unsure whether her mind was being clouded by the raging snowstorm. _I was always so jealous of that wolf. This is probably the first time I've ever actually felt worried for her._

_Oh well. She's a god. I'm sure she'll be fine._

The wind grew stronger still, and Kal had to try and dig her claws into the hard earth under the snow to avoid being blown over. Yet as the gust calmed slightly she realised there was a scent on the breeze, faint but familiar.

_I'm not letting you creep up on me again._

Tuskle had turned her attention back to Lika, so Kal ran across the snow, jumping into the air and spreading her wings, heading for the cliffs that surrounded the area. The fact that she was flying against the wind made it harder, but it would certainly be a lot easier than trying to climb the rocks. As she reached the higher ground she was hit by another large gale, so she folded her wings beside her and dived towards the ground, landing heavily in the snow but still keeping her balance. Good thing she didn't crash land this time. It almost felt like she was starting to get used to this place…

All of a sudden the wind started to fade, and Kal glanced around in astonishment. The flurry of snow slowed, until only a few snowflakes floated by calmly, carried on the now-gentle breeze.

After a moment her surprise faded. This must have been something to do with Amaterasu. After all, pretty much anything strange that had happened recently was. She expected some kind of envy to rise inside her, but there was none.

Maybe it was because now she was realising that the wolf had never meant to outdo her. She should've expected that to happen right from the start; after all, she was a goddess, and Kal was just a dog. But despite all the times the Tsubasa had glared at her, been offensive or even attacked her, at that fight with Orochi she had still shielded her.

_Gods are so willing just to look out for anyone, no matter how they treat them… I'd never be able to do that._

Now that the snowstorm had miraculously cleared up, it was easier to see the area. She could see the ark of Yamato embedded in the frozen lake below clearer now, and she hesitated as her glance passed over the side of it. Most of the boat was covered with ice, but she could clearly see the symbols on the grey metallic surface underneath. She couldn't work out what they were supposed to be, but she knew she'd seen some of them before…

_Back at the ship… I saw some of those on the screens…amongst all those other weird symbols. And the colour of them… it looks almost exactly like the markings on my collar._

Sometimes there were things she just couldn't understand.

Continuing to look around, her eyes finally came to rest on a familiar figure in the distance.

_Aha, there he is._

Now that the wind had died down she'd have no problem flying; she took off into the air, soaring over the snowy cliffs and finally coming to land lightly nearby. She had a feeling he knew she was there - he always did - but he didn't react.

_No comments on the weather? Or the forest? _Kal raised an eyebrow, not really sure how she felt now. She was finding it so hard to work out what even her own emotions were, it was starting to make her feel light-headed. Or perhaps that was just the cold Kamui air. Shaking her head to try and clear it, she padded forward until she was stood at his side.

Waka seemed to be watching the lake, and she followed his gaze, confused. What was he looking at? The ark?

"_The wall of ice shall shatter and open the way to the heavens, when the guardian sword glows silver._"

"Eh?" Kal blinked, looking back at him again.

"It's an ancient prophecy that is soon to come true," Waka explained. His voice was emotionless and she couldn't read his expression, just like most of the time recently. "As soon as the ark is released from the ice, I'll be leaving. You should go back to the city. Look after Kamo and Abe."

Kal felt like she'd just been hit. _Leaving?_ a whimper escaped from her throat. _Don't leave! I'm going with you! That's what a dog is supposed to do._ She reached over to press her muzzle into his hand, but instead of ruffling her ears like he used to, Waka just moved his arm away. Kal stepped back in dismay.

"You can't go with me, Kal. The ark is full of powerful demons. It's too dangerous, even for the likes of you."

_Too dangerous? _

So that was it.

He didn't think she could look after herself. That must've been the problem all along. When he'd scolded her for trying to fight Orochi, or for getting into a fight with Amaterasu… it was because she wasn't good enough. And he clearly didn't want her slowing him down.

"I don't care!" Kal snapped, her words sounding merely a frustrated bark to the prophet as she fought to stop tears forming in her eyes.

Waka finally glanced around, meeting her glare. Even though his expression was still unreadable, his eyes had that same look of coldness as when he had confronted her outside the Moon Cave, and Kal shrank back, afraid he was going to shout at her again. Yet his voice was as calm as ever. "You are very resolute for a dog, Kal. Trés bien. But having resolve will not be enough."

_Fine then, _Kal decided, going back to stand on one of the rocks overlooking the lake a few metres away. _I'm going into the ark whether you like it or not, even if it's only to prove you wrong._

* * *

It seemed a painfully long time before Oki and Amaterasu emerged from the gate, and in the distance the twin volcanoes of Ezofuji erupted. The air started to get slightly warmer, but to Kal it didn't make any difference. She still felt like she had ice on the inside, even if outside it was melting.

She watched as Oki returned the sword he'd been carrying before to the shrine; the second he did so a massive beam of light shot from it, hitting the side of the ark. The ground shook, and the ice of Laochi Lake began to crack. Kal watched in astonishment as slowly the Ark of Yamato began to rise out of the lake, smashing even more of the hard surface until only a few icebergs floated around in the dark water. To her amazement, the boat hovered above the lake, reaching almost from one side to the other now she could see the whole of it, and a door opened at the side, a multi-coloured path appearing from it and reaching out to the shrine.

_Wow… _Kal blinked.

From the cliffs she could see Amaterasu heading along the path; the goddess stopped just before reaching the door, and when Kal squinted her eyes she could see Issun jumping around on the metal, as if he were saying something to her. They were too far away for her to hear.

As Issun hopped back along the translucent path Amaterasu tried to follow him, but it looked like he didn't want to let her - and she didn't seem too happy about it.

_Is Issun leaving? _she wondered. _I know just how Amaterasu feels…_

Then the goddess glanced around, and Kal noticed with a start that Waka was standing on top of the ark. She hadn't even realised he wasn't next to her anymore, she'd been too busy watching the boat…

_I'm not getting left behind!_

She jumped from the cliffs and took off into the air, gliding across the lake towards the ark. Whilst she was flying, she watched as Issun tried to jump inside the ark; a barrier blocked his way and he was rebounded, sent flying back onto the path again.

"Don't blame me," she heard Waka say as Amaterasu glanced up at him. "I already told you. Only those worthy of the trip to the heavens may board."

Issun didn't reply.

"Trip to the heavens, huh," Kal commented as she floated in the air a few metres away from the ark's door, unsure whether they could hear her or not. "Sounds like fun."

She landed on the metal platform just as the coloured bridge started to fade. Amaterasu jumped onto the door just in time, but Issun wasn't fast enough.

"Aaah!" he cried as he fell, and landed with a quiet splash in the lake below.

_Poor guy_, Kal thought to herself as she looked over the edge of the platform. Amaterasu did the same, giving a loud bark, presumably to make sure Issun was okay. Waka floated down to land on the platform next to them.

"Ah well, guess that's one less on the sign-up list," Kal muttered. She glanced at Amaterasu. "We gonna go kick some demon tail?"

The goddess didn't return her glance or reply, too busy looking down at the water below where the sprite had surfaced. At least he wasn't dead.

"He'll be fine," she shrugged. "Bit of water never hurt anyone." Kal turned and ran inside the ark.

Or at least, she tried to.

As soon as she passed through the doorway it felt like she'd hit something, and her senses were momentarily blocked out.

The next thing she knew, she was falling, the ark getting smaller above her…

_Gah!_

She wasn't quick enough to react before she hit the water.

Everything was silent beneath the surface, and her senses were taking even longer to come back now that she was surrounded by the liquid so cold it was almost like being burnt. _Once again I've fallen in a lake… is this what just happened to Issun? The ark's barrier just stopped me from going in? Apparently only those worthy of the trip to the heavens can board. Even a boat thinks I'm not good enough…_

She saw bubbles of air float away towards the surface, and she realised that if she didn't move she was going to drown. _I don't suppose it would matter. I don't matter. _Yet still, the thought of drowning didn't really appeal to her. She forced herself to swim upwards even though the cold was starting to make her ache, and eventually she burst through the surface, gasping for air. Trying to stay afloat so not to go back under again, she glanced back up at the ark.

Water blurred her vision slightly, but she could still see Waka as he cast a glance over the edge of the platform. It was still too hard to read his expression, especially since he was so far away now, but she had a feeling that he wasn't troubled by what had happened. His eyes met hers for a brief moment, before he turned and vanished inside the ark, out of sight.

And at that moment, among all these emotions she'd had recently, she finally realised what the strongest one was.

Pain.


	13. Discovering the Truth

**The chapter when EVERYTHING SHALT BE REVEALEDDDDD.**

**Or... something along those lines.**

**Also named the "Kal & Issun chapter" because... it's all about them xD**

**Dogzii started crackpairing them a while ago... and I have to admit it's actually starting to grow on me O_o**

***goes back to reality***

**And is it just my imagination or are the Travel Guides hardly ever used in fanfiction?**

* * *

Kal dragged herself out of the lake and onto the snow, barely even bothering to shake the freezing water from her sodden fur. Yet as it started to soak through to her skin she had to before she became too cold. Water dripped onto the rocks around her, almost freezing on contact.

_What do I do now? Where do I go?_

She glanced back at the ark for a few moments; the door was closed, there was no way she could even attempt to get in now. Not that it would let her in anyways. Or that she really wanted to go in…

A splashing sound caught her attention and she noticed Issun scrambling to get out of the water nearby. Why hadn't the ark let him on board? He was Amaterasu's best friend.

_I guess we just weren't allowed on because we're only the sidekicks. The ones that don't count._

"You're real generous, huh, dogfly," the poncle muttered, coughing up water. "Don't think to help next time someone falls in a lake."

"Yeah, whatever," Kal replied absently, shaking more drops of water from her fur. She just wanted to get away from here. From the ark. She took a step forward.

"Hey, where ya goin'?"

The dog looked blankly at him, only vaguely wondering why he was bothering to ask.. "Away from here."

"But where? Where you headed?"

Kal didn't know. She didn't really feel like heading back to the city, at least not yet. "I dunno. Just… anywhere." She turned and headed towards the gate that lead back to Wep'keer.

Suddenly she heard a jumping sound, and before she knew it Issun had hopped over and onto her nose. "Hey, hey, you let me almost drown in a lake and now you plan to run off and leave me here? Do you not know how hard it is to get around in this snow when you're only an inch tall?"

_How would I? And who's fault is it you were in the darn lake? _Kal forced herself to not say any of this out loud. She didn't want anyone else hanging around. She just wanted to be alone. Yet she couldn't help feeling slightly sorry for Issun. After all, he was in pretty much the same situation as she was here…

"I was actually, yes. But if you insist on tagging along then fine. I'm not your mode of transport though, okay?"

"Okay, okay, sheesh," Issun tutted, hopping up onto her head. "Now mush, dogfly! I wanna get the heck outta this place as well."

Kal just rolled her eyes and wandered on towards the gate. She didn't feel like arguing. And, quite frankly, she didn't have the energy.

* * *

It had taken a short while to navigate the maze of paths in Wep'keer, and eventually they reached the snowy fields of Kamui once more. Kal was starting to get fed up. Not of the snow and ice, but of Issun.

The sprite had lain down on her head as if she was some kind of pillow, and she assumed he was looking up at the sky, although she couldn't see him.

"Your fur isn't as soft as Ammy's," he sighed. "Hers was all warm and fluffy. Yours is just… all over the place."

"Sure, whatever," Kal muttered, starting to get a headache from his constant grumbling. She knew he missed the goddess, but this was just getting annoying.

Issun sat up. "And can't you walk any faster? If you were Ammy we'd be halfway across Nippon by now."

"Well I'm not Ammy, okay?" Kal snapped, shaking her head so that the poncle fell down onto her muzzle instead and she could finally see him. "If you just want someone to put up with your rambling, go find yourself another god!"

"Well, a crazy flying mutt was the best there was, so I guess I'll just have to put up with you until you stop bawling over the fact that Ammy was better than you!"

"I don't _care_ if she's better than me. She's a goddess for god's sake! No pun intended."

"If you don't care then stop moping around so much! You'll re-freeze the whole of Kamui soon. You just can't stand that Ammy was let into the ark and you weren't."

"That's not what's bothering me!"

"Then what is?"

"None of your business!"

Issun was quiet for a moment. Then he finally clicked. "Ohhh, I see. You're just upset cuz the prophet left you behind."

Kal didn't reply.

"You are, aren't you?"

"I told you, it's none of your business."

"Bah," he shrugged, jumping back onto her head again. "That half-baked prophet was bound to do something like that sooner or later. He's just a two-bit idiot. Forget about him, dogfly."

"I can't just forget him. He's been my master for over sixteen years now."

"Six- WHAT!" Issun cried in disbelief. "Holy smokes, dog, how old are you!"

"Seventeen."

"Holy-" he nearly repeated himself but realised just in time. "Not to point out the obvious, but shouldn't you be like… dead? Or at least old. You look like you only just finished growing."

Kal just shrugged, faintly amused. "It's normal for a Tsubasa, long life span."

"A what now?"

"A Tsubasa? Dog with wings?"

"Wait, so you're telling me you're a Tsubasa?" Issun tipped his head to one side, the antenna on his beetle hat flopping sideways. "I know I've heard that mentioned somewhere before."

"You have?" Kal blinked in surprise, coming to a halt in the snow. "I'm surprised. Hardly anyone seems to know what we are."

Issun hopped back onto her muzzle again to look her in the eye, even though she could barely see anything more than a glowing shape. "I know old man Ishaku definitely told me something about Tsubasas… I just forgot, that's all. If you'd told me what you were before I'm sure I would have remembered!"

"You never asked," Kal shrugged with a half-hearted smile.

"Hmm," Issun mumbled, ignoring her comment by trying to remember. "Wait, that was it! He said they could make the moon appear in the sky or something."

Kal stared at him for a moment. Then she laughed. "Hah. Yeah right." She shook her head and carried on walking.

"Wow, you sure know a lot about your own breed," Issun said sarcastically, climbing back onto her head once more.

"I don't know much, but I'm pretty certain I've never been able to do something like that. Besides, only other Tsubasa I've met is Bengo, and I only knew him for twenty minutes before he was killed by a bunch of rocks."

"But that would be how my grandfather knew about them, right? So wouldn't he know?"

"Ishaku was your grandfather?" Kal blinked in surprise.

"That's none of your business," Issun retorted, echoing what she'd said earlier.

"Okay then."

The small frozen lake in Kamui loomed ahead, and the sky was so dark it was hard to tell whether it was day or night. The day of darkness was definitely on it's way. A few thin clouds floated around the sky, the snow almost completely gone apart from the few odd flakes that fluttered to join the melting ones on the ground.

Then the silence was broken once again by Issun.

"Go on, then."

"What?" Kal tried to glance up at him, but since he was still sat on her head he was out of sight.

"Howl. See if the moon appears."

"Don't be ridiculous."

Issun made a loud tutting sound. "You'll never know if you don't try. Just howl."

"I don't howl."

"What kind of dog are you if you can't even howl?"

Kal tried to stifle the irritated growl rising in her throat. "I said I don't. I didn't say I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because…" Kal wasn't really sure how to explain. She wasn't even entirely sure herself. A memory flashed in her mind.

_The sky was clear above Agata Forest. Kal, still just a puppy, was sat on one of the thick tree branches, a not far away from Waka. Her ears were pricked as she heard a strange sound in the distance. It sounded like some kind of wolf or dog, yet nothing she'd heard before. How did they make that noise? It almost sounded like they were singing. She threw her head back and tried to do the same._

"_Kal, stop that," Waka told her._

_She ignored him._

"_Kal!"_

_Surprised by his seriousness, the puppy almost lost her balance, but luckily managed to avoid falling off the branch. It was a long way to the ground. She turned to look at the prophet, an innocent but confused look on her face._

"_Don't howl like that," Waka smiled, reaching over to ruffle her ears. "It irritates people, especially if they're busy or asleep like the few people that live in this forest or the city."_

"I guess Waka just told me not to," she shrugged eventually. "He said that-"

"Who cares what Waka said?" Issun scoffed. "That half-baked prophet ain't here now, is he?"

"Well, I guess when you put it like that…" she didn't care what Waka wanted her to do anymore. Like he said, he'd left. She was on her own now.

"Besides, what is there to lose? I've hardly ever seen you do anything other than get beaten up."

Unable to glare at him, Kal just sighed instead. "Fine, if it'll get you to shut up."

Then she threw back her head and howled.

The noise echoed around the empty fields, and Issun gasped as he was knocked off into the snow. Kal glanced around, cutting off abruptly even though she could still hear the sound echoing through the snow. "Sorry."

"Some warning next time would be nice," Issun grumbled as he dug his way out of the snow. "Whoa!"

"Huh?" Kal glanced up to see what he was looking at. Then she gasped. "What the heck!"

A crescent moon had appeared in the sky, hanging low over the cliffs. It looked slightly different than normal, but that wasn't what surprised her the most. It was the Day of Darkness. The moon was supposed to be covering the sun! How was it somewhere else in the sky at the same time?

Before she even realised, Issun was back on her nose again. "Hey, look over there!"

She looked in the direction he was pointing to see something glowing atop one of the cliffs.

"Looks like some treasure!" Issun grinned. "Just like the old days… though getting all the way up there might be a problem."

"Uh, Issun?" Kal pointed out, spreading her wings. "I think you might be forgetting something here."

"Oh, yeah!" Issun cheered. "I'm too used to Ammy, I forgot you could fly. C'mon then, what're you waiting for?"

"Well, hold on or you'll fall off again," Kal warned, tossing him back onto her head.

As she jumped into the air she felt the poncle grab onto her fur in alarm. Reassured that he probably wouldn't fall now, she soared up towards the cliffs.

* * *

"Sheesh, you really need flying lessons," Issun groaned as Kal landed on the cliff ledge. "I feel a bit airsick…"

"Don't even think about it," Kal grimace, shaking him off her head and causing him to land in the snow once more.

"No need for that!" he tutted, climbing out of the drift. "I don't know about you, but I haven't forgotten why we came here."

Kal glanced over at the shining spot on the ground. "You think glowing snow is treasure?"

"No, duh," Issun rolled his eyes. "You're supposed to dig it up."

"Me?"

"You see any shovels on me?"

"Fine," Kal sighed. She padded over to the light and started digging through the snow. "This is so pointless."

"Not if there's treasure underneath there isn't! Just like when me and Ammy went looking for it. There's always treasure in a place like this."

"If you say so," Kal shrugged.

Eventually her claws caught on something that looked like a handle. After a bit more digging to loosen it, she managed to pull whatever it was out of the ground. It was a treasure chest.

"All right!" Issun cheered, hopping over and trying to pry the chest open. "Little help here?"

Kal rolled her eyes and easily nosed the lid off the box.

Inside was a scroll, and nothing else.

"This is treasure?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Bah, it's just another of those travel guide things," Issun sighed. "We saw just about all of 'em." He hopped over to one of the rocks that jutted out from the cliffs. "I wonder if there's any other reasonable treasure around here…"

_Travel guide? Never heard of that before._ Kal reached into the box and pulled out the scroll, dropping it on a nearby rock so that it wouldn't get soaked by the snow. As soon as it hit the hard surface it unravelled, and she glanced at the first word in surprise.

"Tsubasa!" she gasped.

"Huh?" Issun glanced around. "Wait, that's what this scroll's about? Me and Ammy never found one about that. Maybe that's why it only just showed, when you made the moon appear like that!"

Kal barely even heard him; she was too intent on reading what the scroll had written on it. The writing was quite small but she could still understand what it said, and there was a painting of a Tsubasa at the top of the scroll.

'_Tsubasas, also known as the winged dogs. They originated from the moon, where they were the defenders of the lunar civilisation, the Moon Tribe, a long-living humanoid race whom all had long golden hair and technology alien to you and I. Tsubasas may be considered unusual-looking due to their wings and ability to fly, yet other than this they still look similar to ordinary dogs. Having known one in the past, I can say that though they may simply look like an unusual dog, their personality and emotions are of that similar to a person.'_

"The Moon Tribe?" Kal blinked. "What the heck?"

"Wait, so correct me if I'm wrong here…" Issun sounded utterly confused. "You're from the moon? And you're supposed to be the protector of some tribe or something?"

"If I was born on the moon I think I'd know about it," Kal pointed out. "Pretty certain I'm from Nippon."

"Oh, hang on," the poncle unravelled the end of the scroll. "There's more written here."

'_What happened to the Moon Tribe and their dogs is unknown, but as the civilisation was destroyed it is rumoured that a few of the remaining dogs flew down to the mortal plain, where they have lived ever since. Yet that was legends ago, and it is unbeknown to me whether there are still any living in the wild of Nippon.'_

"So how am I supposed to defend a tribe that was destroyed?" Kal asked rather helplessly.

"How should I know?" Issun shrugged unhelpfully, still looking over the scroll. "Who says you have to do anything? This is just an old scroll. It's not like fate or anything."

_Fate? _Kal seemed to have been hearing that word a lot recently. Waka had told her she 'couldn't make someone else's fate her own', and just before Bengo saved her, he had said to her, 'you can't die here. It isn't your fate.' She knew it must have meant something. She just couldn't figure out what…

_Does this mean I have a fate?_

"What if it is," she muttered. "What if it is fate."

"If it is then you should be off looking out for some moon person," Issun rolled his eyes. "You know any people from the moon?"

"No," Kal sighed, almost laughing at how stupid she sounded. She re-read the sentence of the Moon Tribe's description. Long golden hair? Hah. If she'd met anyone like that she'd definitely have remembered them.

Wait.

Never mind long, but she definitely only knew one person that had blonde hair.

"But… how…" she muttered to herself.

"Huh?" Issun questioned. "Don't start talking to yourself, dogfly, you'll end up as balmy as that stupid prophet."

_Balmy perhaps, but Waka has blonde hair. He's just always worm that helmet, so all you can see is the fringe…_

Somehow everything was starting to fall into place now.

It had never really occurred to her before that she'd never seen Waka without his winged hat. And when she thought about it, over the past sixteen years, everyone in the city had changed, growing up or just getting older, yet he'd hardly changed at all. Was it possible that Waka was a lot older than he looked?

And what about when she'd gone through the Spirit Gate. When she was in Shinshu and heard that flute… what if that was actually Waka, a hundred years in the past?

And if the Moon Tribe had advanced technology, that would explain how he'd managed to make her collar… and what all the strange scrolling screens were inside the Tao Troop ship.

_Wow. I actually feel pretty stupid for not realising all of this earlier…_

Realising that Issun was still watching her, she gave herself a brisk shake and glanced back towards the direction of Laochi Lake. The ark had those strange blue markings on it as well, and had seemed rather out of place.

"Do you think the ark of Yamato might have been made by the Moon Tribe?" she asked, still somewhat distantly.

"How should I know?" Issun tutted. "I thought you wanted to get away from that weird boat."

"But it's got legends about it, right?"

"It's supposed to have fallen from the heavens and released a bunch of demons into the world," Issun shrugged. "And then it just happens to float in the air. Not to mention that Ammy's inside fighting all those demons on her own. It's one of the most feared places in all of Kamui."

"Do legends say anything about how to get into it?"

"You seriously are crazy, aren't you?" Issun gaped. "We both got kicked off that ark, we ain't getting in."

"But do they?"

"Whoever made up these legends wouldn't have been able to try and get in, it was crashed into a lake," Issun pointed out. "Though that fruitcake kept babbling on about having to be worthy of the trip to the heavens, or accepting your own fate, or something like that."

_Fate. Again._

"Issun, you have some kind of fate too, don't you?"

"What? Shut up already, dogfly, you're not making any sense!"

"Maybe the reason the ark didn't let you on was because your fate lay somewhere else," she muttered. "But perhaps…" _Perhaps it was because I only wanted to get into the ark to prove myself. I just wanted to try and defeat the demons inside on my own to show that I wasn't useless. But if what this scrolls says about Tsubasas is true, then I should have wanted to get into that ark because…_

… _Because we're supposed to try and protect the Moon Tribe._

"I think I know now," she decided, a determined look on her face. "I know what I'm supposed to do."

"You're going to try and get into that ark again?"

"Yep."

"You're crazy."

"Maybe I am," Kal shrugged. "But heck, what else am I supposed to do?" She ran over to the edge of the cliff, ready to take off into the air.

"Hey, wait!"

Kal skidded to a halt just before the reached the edge of the rocks, snow spraying over onto the ground below. "What?"

"Don't just leave me stranded on a cliff ya crazy furball!"

"Oh, right," Kal laughed. "You know, you're alright, Issun. Guess I shouldn't have been so harsh towards you and Amaterasu."

"And I guess you're alright for a freaky dog," Issun admitted. "Few screws loose, but hey, I'm not surprised with such a bad influence."

Kal just smiled. "Typical. Come on."

The sprite hopped over and jumped back onto her head. "No more treasure hunting, then?"

"You'll have to find someone who isn't apparently crazy for that."

"Shame," Issun shrugged. "But if I have to sit around on any more flying dogs, I'll have to install a seatbelt or somethin'."

* * *

It was much easier to fly around now that the snowstorm had stopped. Kal raced back towards Laochi Lake, soaring down so low to the earth that snow blew across the ground in her wake. She hadn't felt this energetic in ages. Maybe it was because she finally knew that she actually had a purpose.

Everyone who had been at the lake and shrine before had vanished, so the area was quiet other than the sound of the gentle wind. The ark still hovered almost silently above the water.

Kal flew over and landed on the cold metal, pushing off some of the newly-lain snow that had come to rest on top of the ark. She could see where the entrance had been from here, but it was still firmly shut.

"Darn it, how do you open this thing?" she muttered aloud. There had to be some kind of button or lever somewhere.

Yet even after she'd circled the ark many times, she still couldn't find any way of getting in.

She landed back on the side of the ark once more, out of breath and slightly discouraged.

_What am I doing? Even if I could find some way of getting inside, there's no saying that I'd be able to get past the ark's barrier in the first place. What if this is just another fruitless idea, like before…_

Letting out a sigh, she padded along to the bow of the ark and looked up at the sky. She could see part of the sun, so she assumed it must still be daytime, yet the heavens were still as dark as if it were night. It was unnerving.

Kal remembered when she'd seen the moon appear over the cliffs just before she and Issun had found that scroll. Had she really made it appear? It didn't seem possible… yet if the scroll was correct, and Tsubasas really originated from the moon…

_I have to see if it was really me or not._

Glancing around at the lifeless land, she shrugged. _Here goes._

Then she raised her head and let out a long howl.

The sound echoed around the valley that Laochi Lake was in, and for a brief second it felt like the wind became stronger. After a few moments Kal opened her eyes to see the moon in the sky above. Yet this time it seemed a lot brighter. It was almost as if most of the moonlight was shining on her…

Suddenly she noticed light behind her and gasped, glancing around, wondering if someone had somehow managed to get up onto the ark. But there was no one there. The light looked like it was coming from _her._

The moonlight-washed fur along her back and her wings were shining a bright golden colour, and Kal almost had to squint her eyes against the light.

"What the heck!" she cried in amazement, almost losing her balance.

Yet as the moonlight vanished and the glow faded from her fur, she realised that she looked different now. Her wings had changed from black to a more silver colour, and when she looked at her right shoulder she could just about make out a pale golden crescent-shaped marking on her fur.

"Wow…" she gaped, looking over her changed wings. _This is just like what Bengo looked like, I just never saw the crescent because he had so many scars that it was covered up. So he didn't just have silver wings because he was old. It must mean something…_

There was no time to think about that now. Her ears twitched as she heard a strange mechanical sound, and she glanced over the side of the ark to see that the drawbridge-like door was lowering. Maybe it was because she had made the moon appear again? Or because that had caused her appearance to change slightly? Oh well, that didn't seem most important right now.

Kal drifted down onto the platform where she'd stood earlier that day alongside Amaterasu and Waka, yet now she was on her own the pitch black inside didn't seem quite so appealing. To add to that, there was an evil presence coming from inside, stronger than she'd ever sensed before.

_Don't chicken out now. I have to go in. If I can._

Taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the uneasy feeling she got from the evil presence, she cautiously reached out a paw to make sure there was no barrier to rebound her into the lake this time. There was nothing there.

"Well, here goes nothing," she said, determination building inside her.

Then she stepped forward into the Ark of Yamato, vanishing into the darkness beyond.


	14. Fate

**Didn't like writing this chapter much since it's basically 70% pre-existant scenes ffffff**

**But it had to be done.**

**Also Kal now HAS THE POWER TO KNOOOWWWW.**

**ALWAYS BELIEVIIIIIIING, WHEN YOU'RE GOLD!**

**Uh... you get the idea.**

**Also you shalt now see the reason why Kal was created and practically what this whole story was spawned from. Just one little scene.**

* * *

Even though it had looked pitch black inside, the walls of the ark glowed softly with red and blue lines similar to the markings outside that lit up and then faded a moment later. As the door clamped shut behind her, Kal reflected on how quiet the place was. Even though this room was large, it wasn't big enough to be the whole of the ark, and there was no sign of Amaterasu or Waka. She couldn't pick up any scents, as every time she tried the only thing she could sense was the evil from deeper inside the ark.

As she glanced around at the markings on the metal walls, she realised that a few of them actually seemed like images. _That looks like Orochi… and Crimson Helm… and Ninetails!_

So the spirit really had gone to this ark after all.

Something inside her made her want to race over to the room which the Ninetails icon was above, but she reminded herself why she was here in the first place. _Rushing in without thinking is what's got me beaten up so much lately. Getting revenge on Ninetails isn't my priority. Besides, Amaterasu will probably defeat him, so I'd only be getting in the way if I tried._

"Do my eyes deceive me? A dog of the moon aboard this ark?"

Kal jumped at the unfamiliar voice, glancing around to see where it had come from. Surely there couldn't be anyone else inside this ark? There didn't seem to be anyone there.

Finally her eyes came to rest on someone who looked to be floating in the air, their hair shaped like wings that beat silently. It seemed like that was why they were floating, but she could see right through them. They were a spirit.

"Who are you?" she asked tautly, still not used to the fact that she was talking to a dead person. Well, she assumed they were human.

"One of the few Celestial spirits still trapped inside this ark," the spirit girl sighed. "My name is Azumi. I didn't expect to ever see a lunar dog here."

_Why is there a spirit here? _Kal wondered to herself. To be trapped here as a spirit, that would mean that Azumi had been killed in this ark… "What happened to you?"

"You mean, why am I a spirit?" Azumi questioned, echoing her thoughts. "All of us Celestials were devoured by the demons inside this ark when we escaped from Orochi on the Celestial Plain. Only a few of us remain here as spirits."

"The Celestial Plain, huh," Kal muttered. She knew someone had mentioned that to her long ago, most likely Rao reading from one of her scrolls. Yet humans didn't know that much about it, and because of that, neither did she. This didn't seem like the time for asking about that, however. "There are still lots of demons inside this ark, aren't there?"

"I believe there are still a few, but since Okami Amaterasu arrived not long ago some of them seem to have disappeared."

_You mean there was even more evil than there is now! _Kal's eyes widened.

"But still," Azumi continued. "If you are a Tsubasa… are you looking for the man of the Moon Tribe who is in this ark?"

Her attention snapped back to what the Celestial was talking about. _So it's true then. Waka _is_ from the Moon Tribe. _"Yeah. Do you know where he is?" _The ark is massive, it could take ages to find him otherwise._

"Not precisely, but I can sense that he is somewhere within the upper levels of this boat," Azumi told her. "You must hurry, Tsubasa Inu. The demons in this ark may get you as well."

Kal just nodded in reply, glancing towards the top of the ark. _I'm not letting any more darn demons attack me. _The ark was so massive that she could barely see a thing more than ten metres above her, and she couldn't pick up any sound either.

When she glanced around again Azumi had vanished. At least she knew where to go now.

"Let's just hope there's no flying demons in here," she muttered, spreading her now-silver wings and taking off, heading upwards towards the upper levels of the ark.

* * *

It seemed like ages before Kal finally reached a part of the ark where she could see her surroundings. More blue lines trailed in a hemisphere above, some of the light blocked by a large floating platform.

_The rest of the place is practically empty. This must be it._

Even though her wings ached from flying up here, she gave a final burst of energy to speed up towards the platform, clearing the edge by a few metres and landing lightly on the metallic stone, causing a small cloud of dust to fly in the air. She folded her wings beside her so not to stir up any more of the grit, and glanced around.

In the centre of the platform was what looked like a giant sphere. It was shrouded by darkness so she couldn't see exactly what it was, but because of this she could tell that it was definitely something bad. The sense of evil she was picking up from it was stronger than ever…

"Kal?"

Distracted by the evil power coming from the ominous sphere, Kal finally snapped back to reality. She finally glanced over to see Waka stood across the platform, for once actually looking surprised to see her.

Though she was probably just as shocked.

Even though it was hard to see in the half-light, she could tell that he was injured. His kimono was torn and blood-stained, and he had a bruise on one side of his face. Even the wings of his hat were ripped, one almost torn off completely.

_This is why I should have been trying to defend him…_

"Can't say I'm that surprised," he said evenly, forcing a smile. "I knew that you would find out sooner or later…"

Kal glanced back at her wings and the pale marking on her shoulder. Obviously he'd noticed.

"You've become a true Tsubasa, je vois," he muttered, his voice somewhat guarded since she could tell that he knew more than he let on. "I'm assuming that's how you managed to get into this ark. Didn't think to show up earlier to help get past the other demons, eh?"

_Well, at least I know he isn't hurt too badly then._

She glanced over at the dark sphere, giving a half-bark.

"This is Yami, the ruler of all evil," Waka explained, clearly understanding the unspoken question. "And the demon… who killed all the celestials in this ark…" he trailed off as he glanced at the shadow. "I couldn't stop him then. Now is my chance to avenge those he killed."

He sped forward to attack the dark shape with his sword Pillow Talk, but every strike he made was rebounded by the shield around it. Kal was about to run over and try to help when she heard a noise from somewhere across the platform and glanced around. A beam of light appeared, vanishing a moment later as Amaterasu dropped down from it.

_So she teleported up here? Huh. If only I'd known there was an easier way than flying._

Suddenly she had to jump aside as Pillow Talk went flying over the edge of the platform.

"There you are, Amaterasu," Waka commented, regaining his balance as he landed back on the platform once more. "I thought I could handle this before you arrived, but it seems I have met my match."

_How do you defeat something if it's got a barrier? I guess since Amaterasu is here now she'll probably know what to do. I mean, she managed to break through Orochi's barrier and defeat him…_

Suddenly the ground started to shake, and the light wavered. Kal glanced around in shock, not knowing what was going on.

"And so it begins," Waka said quietly, his voice grave. "The dreaded Day of Darkness is upon us."

The light faded until the area was almost as black as the emptiness below. Kal knew that outside the sun would now have completely vanished, even though she couldn't see the sky from in here. The shadows surrounding Yami disappeared, and finally she could see the ruler of darkness, a giant metal orb covered in red lines. Was that all? She'd learnt not to underestimate demons.

She wasn't entirely sure what happened, but all of a sudden a strange red light started emanating from Amaterasu. It almost looked like she energy was being drained from her. Then a bunch of orbs flew from her, scattering in the air above before arranging into a circle and hovering back down to the centre of the platform, where they were absorbed into Yami. Then the red light stopped and Amaterasu fell to the ground, her crimson markings and divine weapon gone.

_What the heck just happened? _Kal's eyes widened in fear. _It looked like he just took her powers away…Yami couldn't do that, could he?_

What if he could. Did they have any chance of defeating him now?

At that moment the metal sphere opened, the top half separating into quarters and a small globe rising from inside, housing something that looked like some kind of fish or foetus. Was that what Yami really was? Maybe the metal was just armour. The water started to glow for a moment as the foetus curled up tighter into a ball, and then a blinding laser shot from it, heading straight for Amaterasu…

Yet it never hit her.

Waka had jumped over to block the laser, using his remaining sword to break it. However, Yami was strong and the prophet was being forced backwards.

_What do I do… what do I do! I made it in here and now I don't even know how to achieve what I came here for! But I have to do something!_

_Here goes improvisation…_

Hurriedly she drew her own sword, pausing for a moment to aim before flicking her head and throwing it through the air towards Yami.

It simply pinged off the glowing orb and clattered uselessly to the ground a few metres away.

_Well that didn't help at all…_

Yami had pushed Waka so far back that he was right in front of Amaterasu now. As the laser became ever more powerful he couldn't block it any longer, and Yami used a final surge in power to blast him backwards, and the laser vanished.

Waka's hat fell to the floor, and Kal blinked in astonishment.

_So it's true…_

As he landed back on the platform once more, breathing heavily, his energy spent, the long golden hair that had always been concealed by his helmet trailed down his back. Kal wasn't really sure what to think.

_He really is from the Moon Tribe. He looks so different without the hat. But why did he never tell me? There must have been some reason._

Almost sub-consciously she could hear the sound of Yami charging his laser again.

It was too late that she realised that considering the state of the other two at that very moment, to the demon she was probably the biggest threat.

The laser was heading for _her_.

"Gah!" she cried as she saw the flash of light. There was no time to move.

She shut her eyes against it, waiting only a second to feel the pain that would come with being hit. She could sense the heat moving through the air towards her…

The ground shifted beneath her paws. But other than that…

Nothing.

"Huh?" she gasped as she nervously opened one eye to see what had happened.

Gold sparks fluttered to the ground around her, disappearing once they touched the metal. And the floor around her looked different. She could see Yami in front of her, his laser firing in the opposite direction.

"Whoa…" she murmured, her fur still standing on end from the shock. _I can teleport? Is that what happens when you become a "true" Tsubasa? That must be why Bengo could do it…_

Yami was charging his laser again, preparing to fire. Kal got ready to jump out of the way - she wasn't entirely sure how she'd teleported before, and even though it was probably similar to the way she'd used her collar she didn't want to chance it.

Although it wasn't her he was aiming for this time, she realised with a jolt.

"Look out!" she yelped.

No use.

Yami shot his laser once again, smashing into Waka. The prophet was blasted backwards into the air and over the side of the platform, where he vanished into the darkness below.

_No… no…!_

She raced over to the edge of the platform, but she was unable to see anything. It was too dark.

_This can't be happening… Waka… no!_

She turned back to face Yami again, tears brimming in her eyes and a lump forming in her throat. "You'll pay for this, you worthless demon!"

Just then she heard a quiet yap, and glanced over in surprise to see Amaterasu struggling to her paws, the want for vengeance giving the goddess energy. But the noise she'd made had almost sounded like a warning.

_I don't get it, Amaterasu… we have to defeat Yami…! I don't care whether you think I'm a bad fighter! Whatever happens, I can't just stand here and do nothing!_

At last the white wolf glanced up at her, and for a moment her eyes locked onto hers.

And as their gazes met, Kal finally understood Amaterasu's message.

_Save him._

"But how…" Kal cried hopelessly. _The only way I could save Waka is by flying after him… and I wouldn't know how to stop him falling…_

_But… I have to try. A Tsubasa's duty is to defend the Moon Tribe. And if Ammy believes I can save him…_

_Besides, defeating Yami is her fate. Not mine._

_You can't make someone else's fate your own._

She took a deep breath, letting it out again shakily to calm down. "Okay. I'll do it," she nodded. "You better darn well save the world, mind."

With that said, she jumped backwards, diving over the edge of the platform. As she plunged down into the darkness below, the goddess's battle cry echoed around the ark, marking the start of the most important battle in history.

For both of them.


	15. Don't Give Up

**I am not only the master of scene-skimming, but also at killing personalities. 8D**

**And Bengo... how the crap did your spirit get to Kamui?**

**Enjoying the chapter spam? This is the last chapter other than the epilogue so don't worry xD**

* * *

She couldn't see a thing. Everywhere was completely black. It was unnerving.

If it wasn't for the deafening sound of the air flying past her, Kal wouldn't even know if she was conscious or not.

She didn't know how, but somehow she had to find Waka. Even if he was actually from some humanoid race and pretty tough… falling from so high up onto hard ground would be enough to kill anyone.

Even her.

She just hoped that she'd be able to stop before hitting the ground.

_But that's not most important right now. It's too dark. I can't see a thing!_

Suddenly there was a dim light provided from above as Yami fired another laser, assumingly missing Amaterasu. For a few seconds she could see again.

_There!_

Finally, she'd found him. And thank goodness he hadn't reached the ground yet…

But still, there was no time to waste.

Kal pressed her wings to her side, trying to move as fast as possible. Yet this was still quicker than she'd ever flown before. Her ears were buffeted against her neck and her eyes were starting to sting.

_Come on… come on!_

As she came closer to Waka, she could finally see where he was through the darkness. Whether he could see her or not she didn't know. Her vision was blurred since it made her eyes sting even more if she opened them any further, and there was barely any light.

_What now? What do I do?_

She could see the faint glow of the ground below, approaching fast…

_No time to think. There's only one thing I _can_ do._

_I just hope I'm strong enough…_

She managed to find another burst of speed, flying down so that Waka landed on her back. Then she opened out her wings, the fall slowing.

The snaking paths of the ark flashed past, and she could see the stone floor below. Stopping would have been much easier if she wasn't carrying Waka…

She tried to angle her wings to glide down to a halt, and it seemed to be working.

_But the ground is still coming fast… this is going to hurt…_

Then she collided with the stone. The weight vanished from her back as she skidded across the ground, finally coming to a halt when she crashed against the side of the ark, and everything went black.

* * *

_Where… where am I? What's going on?_

She tried to open her eyes, but all she could see was black. Had the light in the lower levels of the ark vanished as well? She couldn't smell or sense anything. Or maybe her senses just hadn't fully recovered yet. It was hard to tell.

"Hey, kid. Get up. You ain't dead yet."

_Is that… Bengo…? _She wanted to speak, but it felt like every part of her was frozen.

"Come on, Kal. You tried so hard, you can't give up now."

_That voice… that sounds just like Rao…but how…?_

She could sense something now. At first she wasn't sure what, but it started to become clearer… and then at last, she could see something. It might have been real, or perhaps just in the back of her mind.

"You did it," another voice said, soft and kind, just the way Himiko had always sounded when she was alive. "You achieved what you came here for."

Clearly she could see Himiko, Rao and Bengo… were they spirits? Or was she…

… dead?

"Don't worry, kid, like I said, you aren't dead," Bengo assured her, as if he could read her mind. For all she knew, he probably could.

"You just have to be strong," Rao added. She looked like her old self once more, before she had been killed and possessed by Ninetails. "And then you will be fine."

"I know you can," Himiko smiled. "You found the strength every time you tried to defend the city. Even when you were defeated, you didn't give up."

_That… that's right, I didn't give up. I couldn't let demons hurt anyone. Even though I failed… but no one can win every time, right? _

_I didn't give up then._

_So I can't give up now._

* * *

Kal gasped as the visions vanished and she could see the pale blue glow of the lines on the walls around her once more. Her head throbbed slightly and her shoulder stung from where it had been scraped against the stone, but she didn't really notice that much.

_I'm still alive. I really thought I wasn't for a moment then…_

Absent-mindedly she wondered how long she'd been out for.

Then the reason she'd crash-landed in the first place came flashing back.

Hurriedly she scrambled to her paws, her legs trembling, still weak from hitting the ground. There was no sound down here at all, too far away from where Amaterasu and Yami were to hear the fight. The glowing lines on the walls were both calming and patronising at the same time.

She glanced around, blinking to try and get her vision to become clearer.

Then she froze.

A few metres away, Waka was collapsed on the ground. His eyes were closed and she couldn't tell if he was breathing. He looked even worse than before, some of his clothes and hair singed because of the laser that had hit him.

Fear rising in her, Kal raced over. _He can't be dead…he just can't…!_

The defeated prophet didn't respond as she skidded to a halt beside him.

_You can't leave me again! _Kal whimpered, pressing her muzzle to his face. _You're my master! What am I supposed to do without you…?_

After a painfully long moment, his eyes finally opened slightly. "Kal…?"

She jumped back, relieved beyond measuring that he was still alive but unsure how he'd react to her. Thoughts of the times he'd snapped at or acted coldly towards her still ached in the back of her mind. Yet right now it didn't bother her. She'd much rather he be angry at her than not there at all…

"You… actually cave to save me?" Even though his voice was weak, the surprise edged to it was undeniable. "Heh. I would have thought you'd stay and try to help Amaterasu defeat Yami. Especially after how I've acted towards you recently…"

Kal hesitated, her eyes still betraying her fear._ Waka hardly ever lets his emotions show. So how come he sounds so… defeated…?_

He noticed her expression and laughed. "Chien ridicule, you know since I'm not lifeless I won't die. You don't get rid of me that easily."

Some of the fear drained away. _That's more like the old Waka._

Feeling as if her legs might give way at any moment, she padded back over and curled up beside him, letting out a yawn as if to show she wasn't over-reacting. Even though she probably was. Emotions were annoying sometimes.

"Guess it's good I have such a loyal dog, huh," he smiled, resting his arm over her back.

Yet his voice still had a slight edge to it, as if there were something he wasn't telling her, but considering whether to.

For a few minutes everything was silent other than the quiet humming of the ark as it hovered in the air. Kal reflected on the fact that even though this place was evil, she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so… warm. Possibly because Waka hardly ever showed much affection towards her. He was like that with pretty much everyone. At times it almost made her feel lonely, unwanted.

Perhaps that's why not long ago she'd been driven to the point of thinking she hated him.

So why didn't she feel like that anymore?

Was it because she'd thought he was dead? At that moment, nothing had scared her more than the thought of losing her owner.

"I probably should have told you this a long time ago," Waka sighed eventually, breaking the silence, his voice sounding a lot stronger now. He seemed to be recovering from the fall, at least.

Kal lifted her head, ears pricked.

"The chances are you found this out already," he continued, looking at the darkness above as if watching the sky, even though there was nothing to see there. "But… a long time ago - just over a hundred years ago now - I had another Tsubasa. His name was Bengo."

Kal flinched. _Bengo… he was Waka's dog? I should have realised._

"He was a bit like you, except he knew what it meant to be a Tsubasa. He was my dog for at least thirty years. Then he tried to help Amaterasu defeat Orochi and the serpent killed him. That's why I never told you about where Tsubasas came from or how they gained their true form. I feared you'd end up overestimating your own power like Bengo did and get yourself killed."

Everything was starting to make sense now. _So that was why he shouted at me when I tried to attack Orochi. It wasn't because he thought I was useless. _

_All this time I thought he was just being heartless, that he didn't care at all._

_Was I wrong?_

Waka pushed himself up into a sitting position, making sure he wasn't sat on his hair. "Though I don't suppose it did any good. I don't know how you managed to become a true Tsubasa, but you must have found out what their original purpose was. And now here you are almost killing yourself to try and live up to it, eh?"

_But you're my master, what else was I supposed to do? _Kal blinked innocently.

"Still, I guess I should have expected as much," he smiled, ruffling her ears.

At that moment, the darkness seemed to vanish. There was a bright light coming from somewhere higher up in the ark, shining down on them, almost as if the sun had appeared…

What was going on?

"Looks like the battle is almost over," Waka told her. He climbed slightly unsteadily to his feet, somehow still managing to regain his balance. "The controls for the ark must be around here somewhere, and I doubt Amaterasu would be able to use them even if they're still working after two hundred years, so it looks like our mission is to find them."

_A mission? _Kal jumped up, suddenly feeling full of energy.

"Je vous préviens unique, when this ark travels to the Celestial Plain the chances are we won't be coming back. Are you sure you wish to take the path to the heavens?"

Kal hesitated for a moment. If she went with them to the heavenly realms, she'd be leaving behind all the friends she'd made here on the mortal realms. Kamo, Ume, Raiden, Oki, Issun… she'd even miss Abe. Was she really prepared to leave that all behind?

Yet Waka was her master, and nothing could come between that. And besides, the path to the heavens sounded interesting.

_It's taken me so long to get here, to find out who I really am. No way am I turning back now._

Determinedly, she nodded.

"Trés bien," Waka smiled. "To the Celestial Plain!"


	16. Epilogue

**And here we have the epilogue, full of cheesy paragraphs of after-story stuff xD**

**And we also have my take on what happened to the Moon Tribe. Mmhmm.**

* * *

"Erm… K-Kamo…?"

"Huh?" the Tao Trooper glanced around when he heard his name to see Abe standing in the doorway of the ship, looking slightly nervous. For him though, that seemed to be normal. "Abe, is something wrong?"

"It's just…" Abe self-consciously pushed his mask closer to his face as if he was worried he might lose it again. "Did… did the captain say when he'd be back?"

"No," Kamo said evenly, turning back around to watch the platform once more. It had been over a week since the captain had left on his mission, whatever it might have been.

"Did he say what his mission was…?"

"No, he never does."

"Then di-"

"Abe!" Kamo snapped, spinning back around again.

The younger trooper flinched, wobbling slightly on his geta shoes for a moment as he stepped back, before using the trident to regain his balance. He stared at the floor. "I just thought you might know, that's all."

Kamo let out a sigh. "Well, I don't know where he is, I'm sorry. But before he left, he said…" he trailed off.

Abe blinked at the hesitation. "What?"

"He said that chances were he wouldn't be coming back."

There was a moment of silence as what he said sunk in. Then Abe's eyes went wide in shock.

"You… you don't think he's…?"

"Dead? I wouldn't know," Kamo shrugged earnestly. Noticing that Abe almost looked like he might start crying, he added, "but you know Captain Waka. Nothing could kill him. I'm sure he's out there somewhere."

At that, Abe seemed partially convinced. "Kal hasn't been here for a while either. You think she went with him?"

"Probably." He raised his head slightly, trying to break the mood. "I bet they're off on some adventure and leaving us to guard the ship, huh?"

"Yeah," Abe smiled half-heartedly. "But what do we do without our captain here?"

"Aw come on, Abe, you know he's always off on missions. We just do what we always do. Guard the ship, keep a lookout for trouble in the city. Not that there is any, mind, all the monsters seem to have vanished lately."

"I guess. So it's not as dangerous out there as before… right…?"

Kamo could easily tell what he was thinking. "I told you, Abe, the captain will be fine."

Abe was quiet for a moment after that. Kamo glanced up at the clear sky.

_Yeah. Wherever the captain and his dog are, I'm sure they'll be fine._

* * *

Ume shook cherry blossom petals from his red fur as he followed Kokari along the path leading to Kamiki Village. He and his master had been in Kamui for a while, seeking out what other lands lay ahead, and now they were heading back to their old home in Agata Forest. On the way they were going to Kamiki to visit Mushi and Hayabusa, friends they didn't see that often.

"Come on, Ume, don't slack off now, we're nearly there!" Kokari cheered, looking very warm in his new Oina clothes which he refused to change until they got back home and he could show his father.

"Coming!" Ume barked, racing after the child.

As they emerged into the village, Ume noted that it looked even more beautiful than before, cherry blossom petals dancing in the breeze as they fluttered past.

"Hey, Ume!"

The Shiba glanced around as he heard a familiar voice call his name. "Hayabusa! Good to see you."

He ran across the bridge over the river and skidded to a halt as he reached his old friend.

"I hear you've been out exploring, huh?" Hayabusa barked, his tail wagging from excitement. "Seen much?"

"Nothing really other than snow and ice," Ume admitted. "Kamui's a bit plain, to be honest. Is it just me or do there seem to be a lot less demons around nowadays?"

"I think it's because of Amaterasu," Hayabusa told him. "That little jumping guy that used to travel with her came here and gathered everyone to pray for her. He said she was in a great battle or something, and her power was weak and that had made the sun go out."

"Wow," Ume blinked. He'd seen the sun vanish due to the Day of Darkness, but hadn't thought that was the reason behind it. He remembered the last time he'd had a conversation involving the sun goddess; at that time he'd been talking to another of his friends. "I wonder what Kal's been up to while we were away…" While in Kamui, he could've sworn he'd picked up her scent at one point, but he couldn't see any reason for her to be all the way out there… so he must have been imagining things. Homesickness?

"Kal? Who's that?"

"Oh, just a friend, I haven't seen her in a while. She's a Tsubasa, you know, one of those dogs with wings?"

"Oh! I think I've seen her. Yeah, she was here the night of the festival. Haven't seen her since. Same with Amaterasu."

"You think there's any connection?" Ume raised an eyebrow, glancing up at the sky where the sun was shining brightly.

"What? Connection? Nah, I heard the sun goddess returned to her home, the Celestial Plain. I doubt there'd be any flying dogs with her."

Ume smiled at himself jumping to that conclusion. "Yeah, you're probably right. I bet it's just a coincidence."

* * *

"Issun, are you in here?"

"Gah!" Issun gasped, narrowly avoiding knocking over a pot of ink. "Miya! How many times to I have to tell ya, you're supposed to knock first!"

"Sorry, Issun, but old man Ishaku was looking for you, he wants you to help with today's lesson." The poncle girl stepped in through the door, glancing around at all the scrolls that were laid out on the ground. "Wow, you've been busy!"

"Hey, I'm a Celestial Envoy now, remember? I got a job to do making sure people keep up their beliefs in Ammy," Issun shrugged, going back to painting the tail on a drawing of Amaterasu. "Go tell gramps I'll be there later, I wanna finish this first."

Miya walked up to him and looked over his shoulder. "That looks nice. Is it Amaterasu?"

"Course it is, most of these are. In a few days I'll go spread the… uh… Ammy-ness! So that she can get even more believers! We don't want her slacking off again like when the sun went out."

"Okay," Miya replied, sounding like she was only half listening to what he was saying. She glanced around, observing all the paintings he had made. "What about that one? That doesn't look like Amaterasu."

"Huh?" Issun followed her gaze until his eyes came to rest on a painting of a Labrador with wings. "Oh, that's not Ammy. That's just another dog we met on our travels."

"Why does it have wings?"

"She has wings cuz she's a Tsubasa. Surely you've listened to enough of Ishaku's stories to know that?"

"Oh yeah."

Issun stopped drawing for a moment. "I dunno what happened to her. She went off to try and get into the ark and I haven't seen her since. Guess she left with Ammy then," he shrugged. "Lucky dog. Still, if I'm not around to spread the word, who will?"

* * *

The stars glittered overhead as Waka lay on the grass, looking up at the sky. The past week had been spent fighting demons, clearing the curses from the Celestial Plain, and even though there was quite a large area that was back to the way it had been centuries ago, only but a small portion of the plains was free of evil. Still, there wasn't much of a rush.

There was a duet of howls somewhere in the distance, and the crescent moon appeared in the sky for a few seconds before slowly fading again.

_I see you're trying to help Kal use her new-found powers again, eh, ma chérie? _he smiled.

A few minutes later there was the sound of wings, and the Tsubasa appeared over the rise, landing a few metres away.

"Given up already, hm?" he laughed, sitting up.

Kal threw him a blank look as she padded over to sit next to him. Clearly she didn't seem to realise Amaterasu was actually trying to help her, especially since the goddess had her own crescent brush technique which was a lot more powerful.

"At least you're getting the hang of teleportation, oui?"

The Tsubasa shrugged absently, as if she were thinking. She seemed to be staring off into the distance. That was something she didn't seem to do that often. There probably wasn't usually that much for her to think about.

"Something wrong?"

She glanced at him and barked, before looking back at the horizon again.

What was that supposed to mean? He followed her gaze, trying to see what she was looking at. Just above the horizon, the full moon hung in the sky, giving off a faint glow that lit up the grass. This was one of the many times Waka found it frustrating that Kal couldn't speak…

The dog barked and gave a faint howl, then turned to look at him once more.

Looked like he was going to have to try and guess then. "You… want to know what happened to the Tsubasas…?"

Kal nodded enthusiastically, almost seeming surprised that he'd guessed so easily. Then she hesitated and tipped her head to one side, as if there were more to her question.

"Considering you probably know the gist of what happened to them, I'm assuming what you're asking now is how they were created."

Her eyes widened briefly at the word "created". Then she nodded once more.

_It seems she has learnt something, but not the whole story… trés bien. I suppose it's only fair she knows._

"Tsubasas were created by scientists from the Moon Tribe thousands of years ago, by combining animals and even our DNA. That's why you're able to experience and portray emotions. I guess you could even be considered chimeras."

Kal's eyes grew even wider.

"Jamais peur, you're mainly dog. Besides, after so long there have been so many generations of Tsubasa that they have become a breed rather than a mash of creatures. After a while they were made the companions and protectors of the Moon Tribe. Then when the tribe was destroyed, the Tsubasas were some of the first to be killed, trying to save their owners. Only a few escaped and flew down to earth, though I guess there must have been enough of them to stop the breed from becoming extinct completely."

The Tsubasa glanced at the grass for a moment, lost in thought. Then she glanced up again and nodded, as if she were thanking him for telling her. She finally understood what she was, so she seemed contented with that.

After a moment of silence she barked again.

"Hm?"

Kal gave another bark, glancing at the moon once more before nudging his shoulder with her nose.

Waka understood her question almost immediately. Yet he wasn't sure he really wanted to answer it…

"Désolé, Kal, I can't understand you. You can't speak." He muttered, looking away pointedly.

Clearly though, this time he hadn't sounded convincing enough. Letting out a quiet grumble, Kal nudged him again.

Waka sighed and, after a moment's hesitation, glanced back towards her once more. "So you really want to know what happened to the Moon Tribe, huh?"

Seemingly less surprised this time, she nodded.

"Trés bien. After the scientists of the tribe had successfully created Tsubasas, they were still experimenting, trying to create new species. Their aims were to try and create creatures who had a lot of power to help the tribe, but all they ended up creating were monsters. Yami was one of their creations, as well as many other less powerful demons."

He paused for a moment to see her reaction. Kal was watching the moon, almost as if she was trying to see if there were any demons on there now, but he could tell from the way her ears twitched slightly that she was still listening to him.

"The demons escaped, wreaking havoc on the moon and wiping out most of the tribe. Even though we'd created the demons we hadn't created a defence against them, and no one expected them to turn on us. By the time I managed to get to the ark nearly everyone was dead. I… I think I was the only one who escaped."

He trailed off as he felt something damp trickle down his cheek, and he blinked hastily. Usually he tried to avoid thinking about the destruction of the tribe, as all it reminded him of was his family who had all been slaughtered by demons, and the thought of betraying everyone by escaping on his own instead of trying to help anyone who might have lived if he hadn't…

"Well, you know now, anyway," he sighed, wiping his face with one sleeve and looking away at the grass once more.

Kal was silent for a long moment. Silently, Waka found himself hoping she hadn't noticed his expression. Usually he was good at hiding his emotions, but he almost never spoke about the Moon Tribe to anyone. Probably because he didn't want to end up like this…

Then all of a sudden he was knocked backwards onto the grass as Kal jumped on him and licked his face.

"Ergh… thanks?" he laughed, pushing her off and wiping his face again to get rid of dog slobber. As he sat up again he glanced back at her once more, wondering why she'd done that. Luckily she wasn't that good at hiding her emotions, and he could see the slightly sad and guilty expression she had…

Had she felt bad for making him cry? Was that it?

"Ah, don't worry, Kal," he smiled, ruffling her ears. "I'm fine. I cannot change the past, so I should probably just do what a prophet is supposed to and look towards the future, huh?"

Besides, even if he hadn't managed to help the tribe, he'd taken her in when she was too young to survive on her own, and because of that she'd lived. Even if he had doubted his own intentions at first, everything turned out okay in the end.

"Come on, let's go and find Amaterasu. Since you gave up on her she's probably gone off to try and steal mochi from Yumigami again."

Kal glanced away, looking rather unenthusiastic.

"If you can get the hang of gaining power from the moon you might actually make a half-decent opponent," he teased, walking back up to the top of the hill to survey the surroundings and try and locate the goddess.

Letting out an indignant huff, Kal rolled her eyes and followed him.

_She's turned into a fine Tsubasa. Even though she's one of the last ones left, she doesn't let it bother her. There's nothing we can do to bring our families back, so I guess all we can do is to keep looking forward and fight for the one we have now. Or perhaps that's what I've been doing all along._

_No more dwelling on the past. Besides, there's still a long task ahead of restoring the Celestial Plain._

_So let's stand up and face it._

* * *

**Well I hope you enjoyed this story xD**

**(Waka is so cute when he cries fffff /PillowTalk'd)**

**And yea this was already written before I uploaded it on here, I didn't write it all in a day... xD (I wrote it in like half a year orz)**

**The reason I uploaded it on here? I'm thinking of writing a second one covering Okamiden and I've already annoyed the people of dA enough with this when they would rather have art xD**

**Sooooo that might be around soon.**

**Toodle pip.**


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